Sweet Temptation
by Gryffindor-Goddess-Ashley
Summary: Can it be that chance brought them together? That chance gave them one night of passion? And that chance wasn't willing to let go? Is it chance or is it a destiny? All they know is the sweet temptation. HGSS
1. Renewed Hatred

:-: Hey guys! Okay this is my first Hermione/Snape fic and only the second fic that I have ever written, so bless don't flame me! I hope that you all like it:-:

Disclaimer: This disclaimer goes for the entire story! Everything is J.K Rowling's except the plot and a few minor characters that I throw in!

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"Sweet Temptation"

Lyrics By Jewel

Running fast through a fairy tale  
Dark woods; starless night  
Feel cold air in my lungs  
Full moon, you follow me-you say  
"Why do hearts so often stray?"  
You pierce me like an arrow  
Beneath the blanket of night  
Longing for flight

When you fall into me  
It feels so sweet, like dreaming  
Press yourself into me  
Let me feel your breathing  
There's a voice in your heart  
Softly calling  
Come to me, you will see, just give in  
To this sweet temptation

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"CHARLIE, WATCH OUT!" Hermione screamed as she watched her husband holding one of the many tethers that was tied around the Ukranian Ironbelly's neck. Charlie Weasley, along with twelve other dragon researchers were trying to calm the excited creature down. Hermione had come running from the laboratory when she had looked out the window to find the dragon swinging it's tail furiously at her husband. She now stood at the enclosure's fence watching in horror.

"HERMIONE, GO BACK INSIDE!" Charlie shouted, glancing back at her, while trying to pull the dragon to the ground. In the moment that he was looking at his wife, the dragon angrily swung it's tail at him and hit him square in the chest, throwing him thirty feet where he landed face down on the ground.

"CHARLIE!" Hermione screamed, as she jumped over the fence and ran towards him. She knelt next to his body and turned him onto his back while four other team members ran towards him with a stretcher. Hermione leaned close to his body to check if he was breathing and was relieved to hear shallow breaths. She put her forefinger and middle finger against his wrist to check his pulse. It was beating rapidly. "Bring him to Lab Four!" she shouted to the men that were placing him on the stretcher.

"Mrs. Weasley, shouldn't he be taken to the infirmary?" one of them asked.

"I said take him to Lab Four," she shouted back to them as she ran to pick up the rope Charlie had been holding. The dragon was trying with all its might to get free. "ON MY COUNT!" she shouted to her employees. They all pulled out their wands and held them at the ready. Some ducked as the thing swung its tail haphazardly. Others ran out of the way as it came charging towards them, and still others were thrown into the air as the giant swung its head back and forth knocking them out of its way.

"ONE, TWO, THREE!" Hermione shouted and at that moment all thirteen of them shouted, "STUPIFY!", but to very little success. The dragon seemed a little dizzy but refused to fall to the ground, asleep. Hermione counted down again and they all pointed their wands and repeated the charm. This time the dragon fell to its side but still gave a good struggle as it tried to get up. She shouted again and this time the dragon laid its head on the ground and closed its eyes in defeat.

Hermione threw down the rope and wiped her brow as she tried to catch her breath. The others were busy tying the creature up.

"DAVID!" she shouted, standing up straight. A young man about two years younger than herself came running up to her. He looked scared out of his mind. He arrived in Romania two days ago and was serving as her personal assistant.

"Yes, ma'am?" he asked, out of breath.

"Go into the stock room and grab the bottle labled 'S4590', it's a very powerful sleeping draft specifically for Ironbellies. That should keep her out for a while."

"Yes, ma'am," he said, running towards the stock room.

"DAVID!" she called after him.

"Yes, ma'am?"

"You _can_ call me 'Hermione', you know."

"Yes, ma'am," he said, turning and running to get the sleeping draft. _That boy will never learn._

Hermione looked around at her crew and figured that they could handle the situation. She ran towards Lab Four.

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The men had laid Charlie on the lab table. His breathing was shallow and he lay unconscious on the table when Hermione walked in. The men were still around him, cutting off his shirt to survey the damage.

"I'll take it from here, boys," Hermione said, walking over to the sink to wash her hands. The men left with a skeptic eye and she began to remove Charlie's shirt. She found that his chest was bruised very badly and she suspected that his sternum was broken along with a few fractured ribs. She muttered a few different charms and slowly watched the bruises disappear. She looked under his eye lids and was happy to see that his eyes hadn't rolled into the back of his head.. She muttered an Arousal Charm and he slowly opened his eyes. She leaned down close to him.

"Do you feel okay?" she asked softly.

"Am I healed?" he asked.

"I healed what I saw. Does anything else hurt?"

"No," he said, sitting up slowly.

"Good, I have told you time and time again, Charlie, that something more is wrong with that dragon. She can't just be pregnant. She isn't just having maternal instincts. You never listen to me and I don't know how to make you see. What will it take for you to trust me on this and call the Ministry for help? Is she going to have to kill you? Because she's pretty damn close!" Hermione rattled on, pacing around the laboratory. Tears started to well in her eyes.

Charlie got off of the table and walked over to his wife. She stood in front of him with crossed her arms.

"I'm sorry, love," he said, putting his hands on her elbows and pulling her into a hug. She kept her arms crossed to show that she was not pleased with him.

"Can we,_ please_, call the Ministry?" she asked, looking up at him.

"Hermione, what is the Ministry going to do? We are some of the most skilled people they have-."

She cut him off. "Charlie, sometimes it just takes someone who hasn't been around her this whole time to see something that we can't. Will you stop being so stubborn for once! I want you around so that we can start our family! I can't do that with you dead!"

Charlie was quiet for a moment. Hermione pulled away from him a little and tried to decipher the look he had in his eyes. _What is he contemplating? _

"Fine, love, we'll call the Ministry," he said, kissing her softly. Hermione leaned into his body and wrapped her arms around his neck. "But," he said, pulling away. "There is so much work to do! We don't have time to look after a child. The family has to wait a while."

She looked at him in shock. It had been four years since she had graduated from Hogwarts and since the demise of Voldemort. They had already been married for two and a half years and he kept making excuses not to have children.

Charlie saw her shock and pecked her on the lips. "I'll go call the Ministry," he said before walking out of the room.

Hermione watched him walk out of the room and then continued to stare at the doorway where he had stood just a moment before. _Does he even want a family? _Her eyes started to well up and her knees buckled beneath her. She knelt on the floor crying for half an hour before she found the strength to compose herself.

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Snape sat at his desk with his head in his hands. His head was spinning and he couldn't think straight. His mind was filled with thoughts of his wife, but they weren't good thoughts. Septima Vector Snape had done nothing but complain since he had taken this job at the Ministry. She said that ever since he had left the school they never saw each other because he worked late nights and was often out of the country. She often asked him how he thought their marriage was supposed to survive when they never saw each other. She didn't understand that he sometimes needed time to himself. She didn't understand that her constant pestering was pushing him away, not pulling him closer.

He hadn't even planned on getting married when they started seeing each other. He liked the quiet life and their marriage had been anything but. It all happened so fast that he hadn't even realized what was happening until he saw her walking towards him in a white dress. It was then that he realized his life would never be the same.

There was a knock at his office door and he looked up. "Come in," he said. He immediately regretted his command as his Head of Department walked in.

"I have an assignment for you," Mr. Fortunato said, sitting down across from Snape.

"I told you that if I have to leave the country one more time within the month, my wife is going to leave me. Can't you assign someone else to the job?"

"No, because you're the best." Mr. Fortunato said.

Snape worked for the Magical Creatures Reseach and Development Department at the Ministry. He made potions, antidotes, and medication. _What I love to do! _He kept telling himself to keep his mind off of the problems of his marriage.

"What is the assignment?" He said, putting his head back down. He didn't have the strength to fight with his Head.

"A dragon, who has recently become pregnant is having, um, instincts, shall we say.

"Maternal?" Snape asked condescendingly.

"No, something more. The team cannot figure out what is wrong with the beast and has called for assistance. She has already injured six people on the team including the Head."

"And who would that Head be?" he asked, looking into the man's eyes.

"Charlie Weasley."

"You want me to go to Romania?" Snape practically shouted. He stood up.

"It should take no more than a month, Severus."

"A month!" he proclaimed as he paced the room.

"Snape I am not _asking_ you to go on this assignment, I am _telling_ you. Now don't fight with me. Go home, talk to Septima and pack because you are to leave in the morning," he said, rising from his chair. He threw the file that was in his hand onto Snape's desk. "Read up before you leave," he commanded as he walked out the door.

"So, I get absolutely _no_ say in this?" Snape called after him, frustrated. He slammed his fist down on the desk. He pulled the file towards him and opened it up in defeat. He was surprised to see that there were two Heads and not just one. It surprised him even more to see that the second Head was Hermione Nicole Granger Weasley.

_Bloody hell! I thought I got rid of her four years ago!_

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Snape walked into his and Septima's quarters at Hogwarts at about nine thirty. He threw his brief case on the floor next to the door. His wife was nowhere in sight. There were candles set around the fireplace and on the coffee table. A bottle of wine and two glasses sat on the table. There were roses on the table as well.

"SEPTIMA!" He called out. There was no response. He walked over to the fireplace and looked at the pictures that were on the mantle. They were of the two of them on their wedding day. Snape had been thirty-four when that had been taken. Sinistra thirty-two, but that was four years ago She looked beautiful in her white dress. She had changed him for the good, regardless of what he liked to think. She had opened his heart and taught him how to love, but he wasn't so sure that he still loved _her_. He cared deeply for her but something had changed. He wanted to love her and to make his marriage work, but he didn't know if he could. He turned around to see her in the doorway of the bedroom.

"Hi," she said smiling.

"Hi," he replied.

"What kept you?" she asked as she walked towards him.

"A new case," he said, flatly.

"Oh," she said. She leaned in to kiss him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I missed you."

"I missed you too," he said, kissing her softly.

"My vote is that we stay up really late and both call in sick to work tomorrow!" she said as she pulled away.

"I can't do that, love," he said as she started to unbutton his robes and was exploring his neck with her mouth.

"Why?" she asked, still exploring. He pushed her away and held her at arms length. She looked shocked at this.

"I have to leave in the morning," he said, quietly trying to avoid the wrath that was about to ensue.

"For?" she asked, her eyes narrowing a little.

"Romania."

"ROMANIA! Severus, you promised me no more trips for a while!" she screamed as she crossed her arms.

"I know, but I don't have a choice. I'm being forced to go!" he said, plopping down on the couch. He closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. This was their third fight _today_.

"Severus, how do you expect this marriage to work if you're never here? I thought you said that you wanted a family? Do you even want this marriage to work?" She stopped pacing and starred at him, tears in her eyes.

"Of course I do," he said, walking over to her.

"Well, sometimes if seems like you don't care! Or even that you don't love me!" She said, starting to cry.

"I do love you or I wouldn't have married you," he said, staring into her eyes. He had learned that you just had say things that were going to make her happy sometimes. "It's only for a month and then I'll tell Fortunato that I'm quitting if he assigns me to anymore cases that are out of the country." She stood quiet for a moment and Snape thought that she might be getting ready to explode but when she spoke it was quiet.

"Fine," she said defeated.

"Good. I have to pack," he said, kissing her forehead and heading towards the bedroom. Septima sat on the couch in dispair.

Yes, Severus did want to have a family but lately he was starting to realize that it wasn't with her.

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The next morning Hermione sat in her Lab working on a potion when David came running into the Lab.

"Ma'am?" he asked as he poked his head into the door.

"Yes, David? she said, putting down the bottle of cockroach heads.

"The Ministry member is here."

"Oh, good! I'll be there in a minute. Where is Charlie?"

"He is out with the Ministry member."

"Great," she said. David left and she put the flame beneath the cauldron to a simmer before walking outside. She saw Charlie talking to the man who had his back to her. She walked across the lush lawn to go stand next to her husband. She took in the fresh air and the beautiful trees that surrounded their little hide away, included with psychotic dragons free of charge.

"Hermione," Charlie called. She went and stood next to him and he wrapped his arm around her waist. Hermione's jaw dropped as she saw who the Ministry member was. "The Ministry has sent Professor Snape to help with the Ukranian Ironbelly," Charlie said in partial shock.

She stood there with her mouth open as she stared Snape in the eyes. He didn't look at all happy to be there, but at the same time relieved to be there.

"Close your mouth, child!" He spat at her. "I see once again, I have to come to your aid where you are incompetent. I was always saving your potions from destroying my classroom."

"Excuse me, but I believe that you are referring to Neville Longbottom, God rest his soul," she said. He had died in the final battle. "And I'd appreciate it that as long as you are here you respect me and my husband. You can call us Doctors not 'child', Professor," she spat back at him.

"You can call me _Doctor_ as well," he said. She looked at him confused. He just smirked at her.

"Tell me, _Doctor_, why would the Ministry send a Potions teacher from Hogwarts to deal with a case such as this? Surely they have more qualified members to handle this."

"Like you?" he asked. "I am no longer employed at Hogwarts. I work at the Ministry in the Magical Creatures Research and Developement Department and I am as qualified as they get, _Doctor_ Weasley."

"Oh, they fired you did they?" she said fuming.

"Nothing of the sort! After dealing with you for seven years I felt that I needed a break from brats such as yourself." She just stared at him blankly. "Now if you will show me to my laboratory and then to the creature," he said, heading towards the building that Hermione had come from. She looked at Charlie and gave him a confused look.

"Try to be civil," Charlie said, under his breath.

"Um, _Doctor_," she called after Snape. He turned to face her. "How long can we expect this delightful visit to last?"

"I am scheduled a month. Could be shorter, could be longer," he said, turning back towards the building.

"This is going to be one long month!" She said to her husband as they followed the man into the complex.

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SO? PLEASE REVIEW! I want to know if I should continue this story or not! So PLEASE tell me if it's any good! I look forward to hearing from you! **Sorry that it's so short! I promise the future chapters will be longer.**


	2. Importance

:-: So here is chapter two! It's shorter than the first one, which I don't really like because I thought the first one was short, but oh well. I hope that you all liked the first one and hope that you all like this one! Remember to be nice since this is my first HGSS fic! PLEASE REVIEW!

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Septima Vector Snape sat in her and Severus' quarters shocked that her husband had actually left. She was tired of this constant struggle with him. She just wanted to settle down and start her family. She thought that was what Severus wanted too.

She got up from the couch and went into the kitchen where she made herself a cup of tea. She loved him but she didn't know if he loved _her_ anymore. At times it seemed like he did and then at others it was like he couldn't even look at her. Everything she tried to pull him closer just seemed to push him further away. She was beginning to think that he had never loved her. Tears started to stream down her face as the kettle started to whistle.

At that moment Trelawney's head appeared in the fire.

"Septima?" she called. When she saw that her friend was at the kitchen counter crying, she walked into the room and wiped off what little soot was on her robes. Septima didn't respond to Trelawney. She just went to the kitchen table and sat with her head in her hands, crying.

"What happened, dearie?" Sybill said, sitting next to her and taking one of her hands.

"It's Severus again," Septima mumbled.

"What is it this time?" she asked sympathetically.

"I don't think that he loves me anymore. We had another fight because he was sent on another trip. I am so tired of him leaving me here all the time. It's like he just likes to have a woman to come home to that he can shag once or twice and then be on his merry way again!"

"I don't think that is what he thinks. He has a job and a boss to report to. Not all of these decisions are his and he wouldn't have married you if he didn't love you. I never thought that he would ever get married. That alone should tell you something," Trelawney said, trying to calm down her sobbing friend.

"I guess," Septima said, sniffing. "I just wish that he would understand how I felt."

"Don't we all wish that about all men!" Trelawney said, laughing.

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Hermione made her way toward the Ukranian Ironbelly's pen. Snape had been there about a week. Hermione was beginning to think that calling the Ministry had been a mistake because all that her old Professor had done was observe the dragon's behaviors. She had at least expected him to have run some tests by now. _She and Charlie_ could have observed the damn dragon.

She walked across the lawn to where Snape and Charlie were standing at the fence, talking.

"How's it going?" she asked, placing a hand on her husband's back.

"Fine," Snape and Charlie responded together. Hermione glanced between them when neither responded further.

"Find anything out?" she asked as Charlie put his arm around her waist.

"I'm not sure, but I think I have a few ideas. I'm going to run some tests," Snape said, flipping through a few papers on his clipboard.

"Finally!" Hermione said. Charlie gave her a look of 'Don't start,'and Snape snapped his head towards her.

"Excuse me?" he asked.

"Well, you've been here a week already and all you've done is observe her," Hermione said gesturing towards the dragon.

"I like to take care of the projects that I am assigned to and make sure that I get them right. That requires time and commitment, _Doctor _Weasley," he spat at her before turning heal and walked towards Lab Two, the lab that he had been assigned.

"Why do you always have to start with him?" Charlie asked when Snape was out of hearing range. "I don't think I've heard you say one nice thing to him since he's arrived."

"You know I'm right! It's ridiculous how little he's done since he's been here. I just want him gone and he hasn't said one nice thing to me either," she said.

"What about that comment he made about your hair?"

"He called me a Shetland Sheep Dog!"

"Oh, yeah," Charlie said, remembering. "We all want him gone, but that doesn't

mean that you have to constantly fight with him while he _is_ here."

Hermione didn't respond. She turned her gaze to the dragon.

"I'm going to the lab to do some research. I'll see you for dinner," he said before pecking her on the cheek and walking away.

Hermione just stood where she was. She couldn't help feel a sense of dread in her stomach. She somehow felt that her marriage was going downhill. Her and Charlie were constantly bickering, and about the littlest things. Now he was taking their most dreaded Professor's side over _hers_. He would never try to fix the problem that lay at their feet. He would sweep it under the rug and pretend that it never happened. She wanted him to talk to her about things but most of all she wished that she had the courage to stand up and confront him. It just seemed like every time she did, he shot her down and treated her like what she felt or thought meant nothing. This non-communication thing just wasn't working and it was going to stop today.

She started to walk towards the lab.

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Hermione was walking down the hallway that connected all the different labs when she saw Charlie walking briskly towards her, looking through his medical bag. He walked straight past her without noticing her.

"Charlie?" she said. He stopped and turned to face her.

"Oh, hey," he said. "I, um, have to go to Cambodia."

"Excuse me?" she said, raising her eyebrow.

"They just sent an owl saying that they need me there. It shouldn't be too long. I'll be back soon. I just don't want to forget anything," he said, continuing to look through his bag.

Hermione couldn't believe what she was hearing. "And were you going to come say goodbye to me and tell me that you were leaving or did I just happened to catch you on your way out?" she said, putting her hands on her hips.

"I was going to come say goodbye," he said taking a few steps towards her and pecking her on the cheek and then walking away. Hermione didn't believe him.

"See, Charlie, I don't think that you were. I don't think that you even thought about it," she said, taking a few steps towards him.

"Oh, don't be ridiculous," he said, turning his back on her and walking down the hallway again.

"I'm not! And I think that you were going to leave and not tell me. No, I think that you didn't even remember that you had a wife and that it would be nice if you came and talked to her and meaningfully say goodbye. Since you won't see her for God knows how long. Work is more important to you than I am!"

"Hermione, I can't deal with this right now! I have to go."

"That is exactly what I mean!" she shouted at him. She saw David poke his head out of her lab, Lab Four. He was checking to see what all the commotion was about. "David, get back in that lab," she shouted and he immediately obeyed, a petrified look on his face.

"Hermione, this is important. I have to go!"

"NO! I am important! And you couldn't even take the time to come and say goodbye."

"I was coming to say goodbye!" he shouted back at her.

"No, you weren't! If I hadn't have come to talk to you, you would have just left. Do you even love me, Charlie?"

Charlie looked confused at her for a moment. "Where did that come from?"

"Answer the question."

"Of course I love you!" he shouted at her. "What kind of a stupid comment is that?"

"I don't believe you. Now that this is all happening, I don't think that you ever loved me."

"I'm not dealing with this now! I don't have time to deal with an emotional, irrational woman" he said, stepping out the door and onto the grounds. She followed him.

"You never want to deal with this! If you leave Charlie, that's it! I am done!"

At this he stopped and turned to face her. She saw fear in his eyes. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that if you leave, I want a divorce. Something has to change. There is no passion between us anymore. It's like you just go through the motions of marriage. You do what you have to, but nothing else. And I don't think that you love me anymore, if you ever even did!"

"Hermione, we will talk about this when I get back. Right now, I have to go," he said, calmly. She just stared at him with fire in her eyes. He turned and apparated. She was so furious that she had an instinct to follow him and finish this, but she turned and headed back for the lab.

She slammed her door shut when she reached Lab Four. A few bottles fell off the shelves and onto the floor in small clashes. David looked up from his desk, scared.

"David, get out!" she demanded as she paced back and forth trying to calm herself down. He left without a word and gently closed the door behind him.

_He really was just going to leave! His job is more important than I am. _

Hermione couldn't believe that this is what her marriage had come to. Did he really not love her? She didn't want to be treated like this! She didn't feel that she _deserved_ to be treated like this! She also didn't want to stay in a marriage where she wasn't loved.

She sat on a stool and started to cry. But she loved him so much! What had she done wrong? Why was he unwilling to love her in return?

She didn't want to be at the lab right now. She got off the stool and wiped her tears on her sleeve. She flung open the door and stepped into the hallway. As she did so, she bumped into Snape who was walking past with some vials in his hands.

"Watch it!" Snape said as he tried to keep the vials from falling.

"Oh, shut it! It was a bloody accident!" she said as she pushed past him, sniffling.

"What's your problem?" he called after her. He saw that she was crying. "Are you crying because I yelled at you?"

"No and it's none of your business!" she shouted as she continued to walk towards her and Charlie's living quarters.

"Ah, so that was what all the yelling was about. You and Mr. Weasley are having problems."

Hermione whipped around and walked straight towards him. She pulled out her wand and pointed it at his neck. "Say another word and I'll do it!"

"Do what?" he asked, taunting her. He looked her straight in the eyes, a smirk on his face.

"Go home, Snape. I don't want you here! I don't need you here," she said before turning away.

"Sorry, I can't do that. I finish the projects that I start."

Hermione didn't acknowledge him. She just kept on walking.

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So? What do you all think? I have decided to continue with this story but if it doesn't get any reviews I'm going to stop because that means that people don't like it.

Thanks to all of the people who did review! It was you who made me continue on! **Thanks to fran, RaveNClaWGeniuS, and septentrion for the reviews!**


	3. Much Needed Passion

:-: Okay, so her is chapter three! **_WARNING!_** This chapter is going to get a bit racy and it will seem a little OOC but don't worry it will all be explained later! Just don't stop reading after this. Stay with me! This is my first time writing a story like this so I hope that it works! EVEN IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT, REVIEW! TELL ME WHAT I DID WRONG! I WANT TO KNOW! Enjoy:-:

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It had been a week since Charlie had left for Cambodia and he hadn't bothered to contact Hermione. She knew that he was mad at her and that she had said some cruel things, but she couldn't help feeling that they were true. She was beginning to realize that her marriage was over. When he got home she would make him move out and send for divorce parchments.

Hermione had spent most of the last week in her lab or her quarters crying. She hadn't gotten much done either even though she could barely sleep.

Snape still prowled around the laboratory and she didn't want to run into him, but this morning he had requested that Hermione join him out near the dragon pen. She figured that he knew what was wrong with the Ironbelly now and would soon be going home, just what she wanted.

The sky was cloudy but showed no sign of rain. The sun was hiding behind some clouds and a soft breeze blew the hair out of Hermione's face as she walked past some coworkers and towards the man in black. He turned to face her as he heard her approach.

"So? What do you need me for?" Hermione asked as she rested her arms on the fence and looked at the sleeping dragon still tied up.

"I have figured out what is wrong with her," Snape offered. Hermione waited a minute for him to continue but he didn't.

"And?" she asked annoyed.

"This is not the first case like this we have had at the Ministry. Ironbellies seem to becoming extinct. We cannot find the cause of all the deaths but they _are_ happening slowly. The eggs inside this mother are not developing the way that they should be. The mother is unwilling to release them because she knows that they cannot survive if she does. She knows that they will die. She is hoping that if she keeps them longer that they will develop, but she is only hurting herself."

"I'm confused," Hermione said. "This mother will not release her eggs because she knows that the fetus' inside are dying?"

"Or dead already," Snape said.

"How is that possible?" Hermione said in shock.

"Like I said, this is not the first case like this we have encountered at the Ministry and we don't know what is causing the deaths in the other cases. All we know it that they are dying out. There doesn't seem to be any probable cause."

"The mother will die too?" Hermione asked.

"Mostly likely. She will either die because she won't release the eggs or she will die because when she does release the eggs, they will not survive and she won't care to live. Ironbellies are the most maternal dragons I have ever come across."

"I know," Hermione said, watching the dragon's chest rise and fall. "So there's nothing that we can do for her?"

"I can try to make a potion that will have her release the eggs and then we can go from there. We can try to save her, but the eggs are worthless."

"Will she be able to bare more eggs?"

"Doubtful. She could, but the same thing will only happen to the new eggs. I will start a potion that will make the mother oblivious to what is happening to her eggs. That will make things a little easier. You can decide what you want to do from there," Snape said, before turning and walking back towards Lab Two.

Hermione stood at the fence and watched the dragon. She wanted to know why this specific species of dragon was dying out. _How could there be no probably cause_? She didn't accept Snape's vague answer. She started to walk back to Lab Four to do some research.

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Snape was starting a fire underneath a cauldron in Lab Two. He looked out the window and watched Hermione make her way back to the laboratory. He knew that he had been a bloke the other day, so he was _trying_ to at least be civil to her. It wasn't his place to make fun of her for having a bad marriage when his own wasn't so great.

It hadn't always been like that though. His marriage had been the best thing to ever happen to him. During the war, Septima had been fighting along side him. When Voldemort had tried to curse Severus, Septima had taken the blow for him. After the war when she lay unconscious in the hospital, all he could think of was how it had been his fault. He had felt so guilty and he never left her side. When she woke a month later, it was the most relieving experience of his life. It was then that they started to fall in love. Snape softened while in her presence and hadn't realized that he had fallen in love with her until a year later. They married soon after. She had changed him without him realizing and just by taking jumping in front of him.

"Severus?" Snape heard, as the cauldron came to a boil. He turned and looked at the door but it was closed. He turned his attention to the fireplace and there, floating, was the head of his wife.

"Hey," he said, walking over the fireplace.

"Hello, love," she said, smiling. He waited for her to say something else and a moment later when she hadn't, he broke the silence.

"Do you need anything?"

"When are you coming home, love?" she asked, still smiling.

"I don't know, Septima," he said, slightly irritated. "I told you that at the very least it would be a month. It's only been two weeks."

"I know. I just miss you! I was hoping that you would invite me down there for a weekend retreat or something."

"I don't have time. I'm trying to finish this so that I can come home sooner. I can't do that with you here!"

That was lie. He was trying his hardest to delay his return. He didn't want to fight with her anymore. He was trying to steer clear of her.

"Why don't you just come home now? I thought you said that all the dragons were dying out anyways, so what is there to do? Who cares about some stupid dragon!"

"Me! And lots of other people here. The whole world doesn't revolve around you, Septima," Snape spat.

"I never said it did! What is your problem?" she asked, defensively.

"You! You are always pestering me and you want me to be there every time you call. You need me there all the time! You're too clingy! I need you to be independent. I am not your slave and we are not attached at the hip."

"No, you're my husband! So start acting like it. It's like you don't even want to be around me anymore."

"Because you keep picking fights with me! I want to be able to do some things on my own. I don't want to have to do everything with you! You don't need me to hold your hand."

"You never hold my hand!" she shouted back at him.

"Septima, I can't do this anymore. You are too clingy and needy and I need some time to be by myself," he said, trying to calm down.

"What is that supposed to mean?" she asked, quietly her voice wavering.

"I don't know," he said, not looking her in the eyes.

"Okay, fine. I'll see you in two weeks. I won't bother you again. I'll just see you when you come home. Okay?"

He didn't respond and he didn't look at her.

"I love you," she tried. He still didn't respond. "Severus?"

"I don't know if I love you," he finally strained to get out, staring her straight in the eyes.

She didn't say anything. He saw her eyes starting to fill with tears. She looked him in the eyes like she was searching for some sign to tell her that he was lying, but there was nothing. She didn't say a word, but just left the fire, leaving Snape kneeling on the ground in front of it.

He got up and kicked his desk with a loud bang. He knocked over the cauldron as well. He didn't want this to end this way. He had never planned for it to end and he was mad with himself that his feelings had changed. He didn't want to hurt her. _Why is my life so bloody terrible?_

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Hermione had first fallen in love with Charlie the summer after she graduated from Hogwarts. She, and Harry had spent the summer at the Burrow and Charlie had returned from Romania for a short break. Her first night there, they had discussed his work and that had led to other topics and they stayed up the entire night. She found that they had many things in common and he made her laugh like no one else. Both had fallen in love that night.

Hermione started working at the Ministry after that and was soon sent to Romania. Charlie was ecstatic when she joined his team. A year later they were married in a small ceremony with only his and her families and Harry. They returned to Romania a husband and wife team, researching dragon behaviors. Somewhere along the way though, Hermione realized, that their common qualities had become fewer, that their love had become somewhat conditional. She sat at her desk, her head in her hands.

As she dwelled on these thoughts, Hermione heard loud noises coming from the direction of Lab Two. She got up and looked out the door. She looked down the hallway and saw that it was empty. When she heard some other loud sounds she walked to Snape's door.

Hermione flung the lab door open to see a cauldron knocked over. There were some bottles lying on the ground.

"What the hell is going on in here?" she asked, looking around the room. Snape glared at her.

"What? I'm not allowed to destroy my things?" he asked, sarcastically.

"These are not your things to destroy, Snape! Clean it up and you'll pay for any broken items there are," she said, furious.

"Don't talk to me like that," he spat, as she took a few steps into the room to observe what damage he had done.

"I'll talk to you however I want when you are destroying _my_ property. You forget that while you are here, you are under my direction and generosity," she spat at him as she took at few steps towards him. "Don't do that again or you can pack your things and leave."

Snape had so much rage coursing through his body that he could have hit her. He didn't need her bullshit right now. He needed someone to tell him that it was okay to feel the things that he was feeling. That it was okay to change, that people did it all the time. She turned to leave and he grabbed her wrist, stopping her.

"What are y-."

She was prevented from asking her question when he kissed her hard on the lips. What made him do it, he didn't know. He had planned on just making her talk to him. For him to talk to her and maybe be consoled. But for some reason he had kissed her. He just felt that putting all of his anger into that kiss would make it all go away. He wasn't thinking, he was just acting. He made his kiss deeper and she pushed him away.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" she asked, but was secretly screaming that _that_ was the passion she wanted her and Charlie to have.

Snape waved his wand and locked the door. She took a step back from him as he made his way towards her. He looked at her body, her robes clinging to her curves. Even though she was walking away from him, her body language was asking him to do it again. Her arms at her sides and her chest popped out. He pulled her body towards him and she didn't resist. She looked him in the eyes.

She saw pain and anger in his eyes and her heart ached for him. She knew that he was somehow hurting and she wanted to take that away. She wanted to hold him in her arms and tell him that, whatever it was, it would be okay. She didn't know what braught about these feelings, as he was her most hated professor. All she knew was that no one deserved to feel the way that he looked.

He kissed her again and this time she kissed him back. The passion that spread between them was unexplainable. Where is had come from Hermione didn't know, nor cared. Her heart was aching for this kind of passion. The passion where you were so irresistible to someone, that they had to have you right there, right now.

Snape grabbed her torso and placed her so that she was sitting on the island in the middle of the lab, her legs straddling him. He moved his lips to her neck and she moaned in delight. She started to unbutton his robes and he did the same for hers. Both their hands not moving fast enough.

She pulled off her robes and felt his bare chest against hers. Electricity ran through her body. He laid her down on the counter and ran his lips across her breasts and stomach. She arched her back and grabbed his belt loops, pulling him towards her. She unbuttoned his pants and he straddled her on the island, his knees next to her hips. She ran her hands along his chest and back.

As the two became one, Hermione's back arched again and he held her to support her. Hermione grabbed onto his neck to steady herself and Snape felt her short, hot breaths on his back. Their bodies moved together in swift, fluid motions. Hermione kissed his neck and nibbled on his ear. He grabbed her hips pulling her closer. He ran his tongue along her breasts, tasting her sweat. Both their breathing became hard and short. Hermione leaned back, grasping onto his shoulders as her body relaxed in his arms and his did shortly after. He laid her gently back down as they both worked to catch their breath. She wore a seductive smile on her face and he ran his hands over her body once more.

_That is passion! That was what I want, what I need. _ Hermione thought to herself. After she caught her breath she started to put her robes back on and Snape did the same. Neither said anything. Snape didn't even look her in the face. And as the exotic feelings began to pass Hermione began to think about what she just did.

_Did I seriously just sleep with Snape?_ It had started out with her wanted to help him to her sleeping with him? _How does that happen? _Her mind became a mess and she began to panic. She was married. _He _was married. She buttoned up her robes and moved towards the door. He didn't utter a sound. Hermione got the feeling that he knew what they had just done was wrong and couldn't look at her. _Or was he ashamed that it was her and not someone else?_ She couldn't tell.

He started to pick up the mess he had made knocking over the cauldron. She opened the door and walked into the hallway. She made her way towards her quarters.

Hermione sat on her bed. _That was amazing but wrong! How had that happened? _ Snape's first kiss had just been so passionate that Hermione couldn't resist. It was what she had been looking for with Charlie. She hadn't been thinking. She had just let her feelings take over and left all rational thought behind. She realized now that had been a huge mistake. But she needed to feel something like that and experience something like that. She needed to know that it existed and it was possible. Hermione had never felt anything like it, but one thought kept coming to mind.

_What did I just do?_

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Snape was picking up some broken pieces of glass that had fallen to the floor. He didn't know what happened. He had just wanted someone to talk to. He couldn't explain it, except that at that moment he just needed to know if there was more to this world than what he felt towards his wife. He wanted to know that there was true passion. He had gotten his answer but in a different way than he expected. Instead of someone telling him that it would be okay, they had showed him.

She was so much younger than him. How could he have let that happen? He kept going through different scenarios in his mind and in every one the consequences were not good. She was married and so was he. Both unhappily but that was no excuse for what they just did.

_What did I just do?_

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I KNOW THAT THIS SEEMS FAST! But please continue on and read. It will all develop and seem normal in a few chapters. It had to happen fast for this to work. PLEASE REVIEW! EVEN IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT, REVIEW! TELL ME WHAT I DID WRONG!

**Thanks to all my reviewers: septentrion, DeMeNprincess, Fuuruma, Forgetful Love, ohhdarkstonedone, Ruler of Destiny, Random Person, sever-black and fran!**


	4. Resolved Relations

:-: So I got mixed reviews about last chapter. I had people say that it was really OOC and others say that it went perfectly. I just hope that you all liked it and will keep reading. And I know that will be some grammatical errors. I do read what I write several times to make sure that it is what I want but sometimes the eye still misses little things. So if there are a few small errors don't worry about. You know what I'm trying to say! Thanks for all the constructive criticism. Enjoy:-:

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Hermione woke up the next morning and felt her stomach drop as the memories of what occurred yesterday came rushing back to her. She walked into the bathroom and took a long, hot shower. She got out and brushed her hair and teeth, put on a little bit of makeup, and pulled her hair half up. She wanted to look good when she turned Snape down.

_But… does he even expect anything else from me? He hadn't talked to me at all afterwards. What if he just used me? It sounds like something he would do. _

She didn't want to make a fool of herself by walking in there and saying 'This can't go on' when he didn't even expect or want it to. She would just go in there and feel out the grounds and then see what happened. Either way, it was not going to happen again. She was married and Hermione had grown up learning that you always worked things out with your spouse. Hermione didn't think that her marriage was past the point of salvation and she wanted to work at it. She didn't know about Snape's though.

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Snape woke up the next morning feeling rejuvenated. He knew that his marriage was over but he felt relieved. He was grateful for the times that him and Septima had shared and he had at one time loved her, he just didn't anymore.

_But… I also don't want anything with Hermione. I have to make that clear today. I will thank her for clearing my mind and making me able to think clearly about my marriage but that it can't continue. She's too young for you anyway._

After he was done working with the dragon he would go home and move out. He would get a divorce and he would start his life a new.

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Hermione stood outside of Lab Two. For some reason she couldn't force herself to go in. She knew that he was in there, she could hear him moving around. She straightened her robes and took a deep breath. She was about to knock when the door flew open.

Hermione jumped and Snape almost ran into her.

"Bloody hell," he said as he stumbled backwards.

"Hi," she said softly.

"Hello," he said, not looking her in the eyes.

"Can we talk?" Hermione asked, very interested in her feet.

"Um…sure, come on in," he said, taking a few step backs so that she could enter the room. He motioned for her to have a seat on one of the stools and he sat on the other side of the island.

They both sat there for a minute in silence. Snape looked around the room nervously and Hermione was playing with the hem of her robes.

"So…uh," was all Snape could manage to get out.

"About yesterday," Hermione started.

"Yeah," Snape said.

"I think that we should just forget about it," they both said, simultaneously.

"_You_ think so?" Snape asked.

"Well, yes! I'm married," she said, looking at him like he was stupid and this was the most obvious reasoning.

"Huh, I just thought that-," he started to say with a smirk on his face, but she cut him off.

"You thought what?" she asked snottily.

"Nothing," he replied, trying not to laugh. "You're right. It was a huge mistake and it will be better if we just forget about it. We wouldn't want our reputations ruined and it's better this way. We wouldn't have been able to continue a relationship anyways."

"Correct," Hermione said, confidently. "And I wouldn't have wanted to."

"So I will just finish what I have to do here and I will be out as soon as possible. I was just going to administer the non-realization potion now," he said, holding up a potion bottle.

"Good. I'll come with you," she said, rising from her stool.

"Joy," he said sarcastically.

"What? One day you can have passionate sex with me but the next you can't work with me?"

"I was just kidding, _Doctor_ Weasley," he said, holding the door open for her.

"So what does this mean though?" she asked as they started to walk down the hallway.

"What do you mean?" he asked confused.

"Well, I mean, we have to be nice to each other now. We did do quite an intimate act and then we're going to go back to hating each other?"

"I never stopped hating you," he said, a smirk on his face. She slapped him. "Ow!"

"I can't believe that you would do something like that!"

"You _really_ can't take a joke!" he exclaimed, rubbing his cheek. "We're friends, okay? Is that good enough for you? But I don't want to be close with you or anything. Just if we run into each other say hello or something."

"Fine, just as long as we don't have to go on lunch dates and stuff," Hermione said and they entered out onto the lawn.

"Sounds perfect," he said. They both laughed.

"Hermione?"

Hermione turned around to see Charlie standing a few feet behind her looking confused.

"What are you doing back?" she asked, not moving from Snape's side.

"I leave for a few days and suddenly arch-enemies are best friends?" Charlie asked.

Hermione just looked at him. Snape looked at Hermione. She looked mad. He turned around and walked toward the dragon pasture, leaving the two to battle it out.

"Can we talk, Hermione?" Charlie said, taking a few steps towards her.

"Now you want to talk? You didn't care to contact me at all while you were gone and now you want to talk?" She crossed her arms across her chest and stood rooted to the ground.

"Please, just come into our quarters with me? You won't regret it," he said, grabbing her by the elbow and leading her inside.

They entered into their living quarters and Charlie led Hermione to the couch. He sat down next to her and took her hands in his. He stared down into his lap for a moment as if he were trying to think of what he wanted to say. Hermione sat there waiting.

"I've been thinking about what you said," he offered, looking into her eyes. She waited for him to continue. "You're right. It seems as though our relationship has lost its heat, but that doesn't mean that I don't still love you. I realize that my work has become a large part of my life, too big a part. I want to spend more time with you and I want you to know that you're loved," he stopped letting that sink in. Hermione searched his eyes to see if he was telling the truth and his eyes were beaming at her.

"That's the best thing I've heard you say in a long time," she said, squeezing his hand.

"Well, wait because it gets better," he paused for dramatic effect. "I want to start a family with you."

Hermione's breath caught in her chest and her eyes started to fill with tears.

"Are you serious?" she asked, softly. "I mean, are you sure?"

"I have never been more certain," he said, before kissing her deeply. She wrapped her arms around his neck and never wanted to let go.

This was the Charlie she fell in love with and this was the Charlie that she wanted to the father of her children.

He pulled away from her and got off the couch. He took her hand and guided her to their bedroom.

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Snape had watched how Hermione and Charlie stood and talked for a moment before walking back into the building. As much as he tried to deny it, he couldn't make the smallest feeling of jealousy disappear as he watched Charlie take her hand and guide her inside. He ignored it and continued toward the dragon with the potion.

_It was nothing._

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"Charlie, ever since Severus has gi-."

"_Severus_? When did you two go on first name basis?" Charlie asked, as he poured some spider legs into a cauldron. Hermione was sitting on the counter near by.

"Since you left for Cambodia, but that's not important. Ever since he gave that Ironbelly the potion she has been acting completely normal. I think that she may lay her eggs today,' Hermione told him excitedly.

"But I thought he said that she and the eggs will die either way? Can you pass me the newt eyes?"

Hermione pulled a jar off the shelf and handed it to him. "I don't think so. I think that she might pull through this. I think that we can control the situation. Severus is concocting a potion that will make forget that she even had eggs and then if we get them out of the pen quick enough, I don't think that she'll notice."

"Yes, but, love, it's kind of hard to not notice when someone it taking off with your young one. She'll kill whoever tries to take them."

"I just don't want anything to happen to her. She was the first dragon that I birthed and I've watched her grow these last three years. I want her to be okay," Hermione said, becoming depressed and playing with her fingers.

Charlie walked over to her and stood between her legs. He held her face in his hands.

"I know, love, but sometimes we have to let go," he said. Then he kissed her softly on the lips. This reminded Hermione very much of the day she had with Snape. The way Charlie stood in front of her and his kiss. She pulled away from him. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah," she lied. "I'm fine. I'm just going to go check and see how she's doing," she said as she jumped off the counter.

"Okay, I'll be out in a little bit," Charlie said.

Hermione walked out of the lab and out into the lawn. She could hear the roar of the Common Welsh Green in the next pasture over. There were numerous employees walked around the grounds, doing numerous tasks.

She felt so extremely quilty. Everything had been going great. Charlie had been home for a week and they were trying to get pregnant and things were going as smoothly as possible with the dragon and then Snape had to pop into her head when she was kissing her husband.

_Should I tell him? Should I possibly ruin everything that I hoped and wished for? Should I be honest with my husband?_

She knew that the answers to all those questions were yes. But she didn't want to ruin her marriage as well. So the next question she asked herself was…

_Can you live with this? Can you carry this your entire life and still be happy?_

Hermione knew that she wouldn't be happy if she didn't carry it with her, so she knew that she had to.

Hermione saw that the Ironbelly was starting to stir in her pen. She opened her eyes and groggily tried to stand up. Hermione ran towards Lab Two. She didn't even bother to knock on the door.

"Severus, I think she's waking!"

Snape put down the parchment he was reading and grabbed an empty vial. He walked over to the cauldron and poured some of the potion into the vial. He then followed Hermione out of the lab.

"Charlie?" Hermione called as they quickly walked past Lab Three, Charlie's personal lab. "Come on!"

Hermione and Snape ran out to the pasture. Hermione was calling for certain employees to come and help. Snape climbed over the fence and pulled out his wand.

"On my count," he shouted. "One, two, three."

"_Stupify!_" Hermione, Snape and a few others shouted at the dragon. She fell to the ground but only for a moment. Snape ran forward to administer the potion. Charlie came running to the fence, standing next to Hermione. After giving the Ironbelly the potion, Snape ran back to the fence and jumped back over.

"Now, we can only wait for her to lay her eggs," Snape said.

"Why is she exhaling smoke? She shouldn't be," Charlie stated.

Hermione looked closely at her nostrils and she saw small puffs of black smoke coming out with each breath. The dragon's breathes became shallow and short.

"Charlie?" Hermione asked, fear in her voice and grabbing his hand.

Hermione watched as the dragon's chest moved up and down quickly.

"Snape, what did you give her?" Charlie asked.

"The Memory Loss potion. I didn't want to use the spell because it wouldn't have worked as well on such a big creature," Snape said, keeping his eyes on the dragon.

People started to gather around the enclosure. David came and tapped Hermione's shoulder.

"Dr. Weasley, what should we do?" David asked Hermione. She ignored him, not knowing the answer to that question. She soon realized that she wouldn't _have_ to answer the question.

Hermione, Charlie, and Snape watched as the dragons breathes became few and far between and then stopped all together. A large puff of black smoke exited the dragon's mouth and nostrils. Hermione bowed her head. Charlie put a hand on her back and rubbed it.

"Sorry, love," he said.

"I guess my work here is done," Snape said, with no emotion in his voice. "I'll gather my things," he added, turning and walking to the lab.

Hermione turned and watched him walk away. Charlie wiped a tear from her eye.

"It's alright, love," he said, hugging her.

"I know," she said. "I'll be fine."

"Let's go to our quarters. I think we've had enough work for today," Charlie said, taking her hand.

Hermione allowed him to lead her away, but she didn't want to just leave the dragon's body there. She also knew that she shouldn't be this emotional about it, but it wasn't just any dragon. It was her first project and she had worked with her from birth. For a split moment she felt like Hagrid. She laughed at herself.

Hermione watched as Snape walked out of the laboratory and then apparated.

"He's leaving without saying goodbye?" Hermione asked, pointing to where Snape had been standing.

"Did you expect him to?" Charlie said, raising an eyebrow.

Something inside of Hermione was saying 'YES!' Another part was extremely disappointed that he had left so soon and without saying goodbye.

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So? PLEASE REVIEW! I really don't know if I should continue or not. I just hope that everyone likes this. Thanks to all the people who have reviewed!

**Thanks to Forgetful Love, Valady, fran, PerfectDay, slythchickASD, Sugar Quill High, Irishgal, and sammy2008!**


	5. New Beginnings And Ends

:-: So here is chapter 5! I hope that you all enjoy it! Please be kind to me and review:-:

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Hermione was sitting in her office looking through her schedule book. She was checking the events for the upcoming week. It was August 18th and in two days a Chinese Fireball was to be brought on location to undergo observation. She was to be head of the project and was excited to have something to do again. She had felt quite lonely and useless since they had lost the Ironbelly.

It had been two months since then and since Snape had gone back to England. She and Charlie were working on their issues but she still didn't have the passion she had experienced with Snape. She still didn't feel a connection with Charlie inside or outside the bedroom. She still didn't have what she wanted. And she still wasn't pregnant.

She flipped the book open back to June where she had marked the date the Ministry member was to arrive on. Severus Snape was the last person in the world she had thought to show up. Now she wished he was still here.

She closed the book and put her head in her hands. Why was she feeling like this? She loved her husband so much and yet she was dying to be in the presence of another man! If three months ago someone had told her that she wanted to be friends with Severus Snape, she would have laughed in their face and told them that they needed to seek professional help. Now three months later…

_Wait, has it been two months since we lost the dragon, Charlie had come home and Snape had left? Yes, oh my God!_

Hermione felt adrenaline surge through her body as she sat at her desk. She did the math again just to be sure. She rose from her desk and walked to her storage closet. She pulled a few items off the shelves and grabbed a cauldron. Walking back into the lab, she started a flame and threw some ingredients into the pot. A smile stretched across her face as she waited for the cauldron to boil.

_Could I be?_

She stirred the mixture and added a few more ingredients. She had made this potion many times before but on a much larger scale. She usually made it for the dragons on site but as she was so much smaller, so were the portions of ingredients she needed to make the potion.

Her hands shook as she poured some potion into a glass. She hesitated before drinking it. _This could change my life forever. _She swallowed the bitter potion in one large gulp. She felt the warm potion move down to her stomach to just below her bellybutton. She waited a minute for the potion to work before she lifted up her shirt.

She saw the skin below her bellybutton had become transparent and she stared into her body. It was creepy to see all of her own organs, her stomach, pancreas, uterus, everything. Getting past the freaky feeling, she looked around a little before finally spotting what she wanted to see. Inside her uterus she saw a tiny dot no larger than a pea.

Excitement coursed through her body. _I'm pregnant! _

She dropped her robes back down and placed her hands on her head. She wanted to jump up and down. She wanted to scream! This was going to save her marriage!

She ran out of her lab and next door, into Charlie's. He was standing over a brewing cauldron and jumped when she threw his door open with a loud bang. She had a smile from ear to ear as she ran towards him and embraced him. She kissed him hard on the lips and then stared into his eyes.

"What was that for?" he asked, holding her and smiling back, completely surprised.

She paused before saying, "I'm pregnant!"

Charlie continued to smile at her but he seemed no where near excited as she.

"Aren't you excited? We're starting our family!" she said, ecstatic.

"Yeah, that's great!" he said before kissing her cheek and then going back to the cauldron.

"You don't sound very excited! I thought this is what you wanted," she said, placing her hands on her hips.

"Yeah," he said smiling at her, but she thought it was fake. "I'm happy for you!" he added before giving his attention back to the brewing potion.

Hermione stood there confused and hurt. '_I'm happy for you?' It's your damn baby too! _Hermione stood there for a moment, not knowing what to do. She thought that she should say something but no words came to mind. She didn't know what to do except leave the room. Her mind was jumping in a million different places.

She was, once again, doubting her marriage and if this is what Charlie really wanted. And yet, she was so excited to be pregnant. She wanted Charlie to experience this with her and be just as happy as she was. She wanted him to rub her stomach and kiss her. She wanted him to act like a father-to-be.

She walked back towards her office. _How could he do this to her? Now she was pregnant with his unwanted child?_ _Wait a minute. _His?_ Was it his? Had I not slept with Snape the day before he came home? This child could, technically, be Snape's. _

Hermione's head began to spin and she felt faint. She couldn't be pregnant with Snape's child. It was impossible and yet something inside of her was slightly hoping that it _was_ Snape's baby. But how many times had her and Charlie had sex since then? It wasn't probable! Charlie was the man she wanted to have a family with, not Snape! At least that is what she was telling herself. But she didn't want to have a family with a man who didn't want one with her. She began to feel that if this was Snape's baby, it would be a way out of a marriage that she didn't necessarily want to be in anymore.

_Hermione! How can you think such things!_

She began to realize that her head and her heart were telling her two different things. She didn't want to be with Snape but she didn't necessarily want to be with Charlie anymore either.

For the second time that day, she went into the storage closet to get some ingredients. She cleaned out the cauldron she had used to make the Pregnancy Potion and started a new one. This time she started to make a Paternity Potion.

She mixed in a few ingredients and as the potion turned at sky blue and gave off a little bit of steam, she poured some into a glass. She was hesitant to take the potion.

_What happens if you take it and it turns out to be Charlie's? Do you want to stay with him and make it work? Hope that it works? Hope that he will love this child as much as you? _

_What happens if you take it and it turns out to be Snape's? Do you hide the fact from Charlie? Do you leave Charlie and become a single parent? Do you tell Snape?_

Hermione emotions and thoughts were such a mess. She didn't know if _she_ wanted to know who the father was.

_Should I just not take it and pretend that everything is as it should be? Can you do that?_

What had she gotten herself into? She didn't care and she didn't want to live her life not knowing who the father of her child was! She threw caution to the wind and gulped down the potion.

_But who do you want it to be? I don't know anymore! Do I still love Charlie? Do _I_ want to start a family with him? I don't know anymore. I don't want to live the way we are and I want the father of my child to love him or her with all his heart. But will Snape do that? Or will he want nothing to do with it? _

Hermione was making herself dizzy. She couldn't handle all this stress. What was she going to do?

She pulled up her shirt one more time to reveal her stomach. There, on her stomach, the name of her child's father began to appear on her skin. She didn't know what she felt when she saw it.

_Severus Snape_

"Hermione, have you see-." Charlie stopped in the doorway. Hermione dropped her shirt but Charlie had already seen. Hermione froze.

"What's that?" he asked, no emotion in his voice.

Hermione didn't respond, but just looked him in the face.

"Hermione, answer the question," he said, anger rising now.

"Um, it's a Paternity Potion," she said quietly, looking at the ground.

"Why would you need to take a Paternity Potion?" he said, walking into the room.

"Charlie, don't insult my and your intelligences by asking that question. You know why I would need to take a Paternity test." She was very annoyed right now.

"Who?" he asked.

"Who what? Who did I sleep with or who is the father of the child that you don't want?" she spat at him.

He looked shocked. "I want that child," he said, rolling his eyes.

"No you don't! You said that you were happy for _me!_ You showed no excitement that I was pregnant! A person who really loved his wife and wanted to have children with her would have been jumping up and down!" She started to clean up the potion.

"Who?" he asked again.

"WHO WHAT?"

"Who did you sleep with?"

"Severus Snape!"

"Severus Snape? How the fuck did that happen?"

"It was after you left for Cambodia and we had gotten in that fight!"

"We get in a fight and to solve it you sleep with Snape!"

"No! I wasn't planning on it to happen! It just did! I was upset and looking for something that you weren't giving me and it just so happened that he was there. He made the first move, not me!"

"But you didn't stop him!"

"No, I didn't!"

"How was it?" he asked calmly.

"What?" she asked shocked.

"How was it?"

"I'm not going to answer that question!"

"How was it?" he asked again.

"It was bloody fantastic! I've never experienced more passion in my life! I have never felt more wanted or needed!"

Charlie stood there quiet. Hermione brought her attention to the window. She gazed out at the nice day. It was beautiful outside but it was raging inside.

"Well, I'm glad to know that it was worth it," Charlie said before turning his back to leave.

"Charlie, I didn't want it to be worth it. I didn't want to have that passion with him, I wanted it with you. You just seem like you don't want to have it with me. It's like you don't love me anymore and you don't want to be the father of my children!"

He turned to face her. "After this, I don't know if I do."

"Don't fool yourself, you never did!"

"Whose is it?"

"It's Snape's," she said, no sympathy in her voice. She didn't care anymore. She would raise this child on her own if it meant being happy.

Charlie didn't move. He just looked at Hermione, pain and jealousy in his eyes. _Jealous of what? That it isn't his child or that I turned to Snape in a time of need?_

"I loved you more than anything, Charlie. I wanted nothing more than for _you _to be the father of my children, but you just didn't want to. You weren't willing to give what I was. You have no idea how much I wanted your name to come up. I want this to work and it seemed like it was, but then it went back to where we were. I don't want to be with someone who doesn't love me!" She took a few steps towards him and made to touch his arm. He jerked it out of reach.

"You're right. I don't love you."

Hermione froze. That stung like no other insult he could have thrown at her.

"Anymore," he added before leaving the room and slamming the door behind him.

Hermione didn't know what to do. She didn't know how she felt. Part of her wanted to fall the floor and burst into tears. She had grown up learning that divorce was just not an option, but now she knew that it had to be. She felt ashamed and quilty, but that this was not just _her _fault. Part of her wanted to run after Charlie but, then another part of her felt… relieved.

Apparently this pregnancy wasn't going to save her marriage, but it was going to destroy it.

_But I think it might be saving my life!_

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REVIEW! I hope that you all liked it! Tell me what you think! Thanks to all of my reviewers! You are all great!

**Thanks to ohhdarkstonedone11, slythchickASD, Sugar Quill High, Irishgal lorelei, pplhater2493, SilverandSilent, septentrion, and Forgetful Love.**


	6. Baby Boom

:-: I am soooo sorry that this took so long to get up! I have been so busy trying to get everything ready for school! I'm not all that happy with this chapter but I don't know how to fix it! So I hope that you all like this and please review:-:

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Hermione woke up to her alarm clock beeping loudly in her ear. She reached over and turned off the alarm and slowly rolled out of bed. She sat on the edge of the bed while her eyes adjusted to the light that was streaming in through the windows.

This was the fourth morning that she didn't smell coffee brewing from the kitchen as she awoke. It was the fourth morning that she awoke and didn't hear the shower running. It was the fourth morning that the apartment was empty except for her. All was quiet.

She got out of bed and walked into the kitchen. She turned on the coffee pot and went to the window. It was only a minute before she saw the owl carrying the Daily Prophet. She grabbed a Knut out of the jar that they kept next to the window. As the bird landed on the window sill she started to untie the newspaper and put the Knut in the pouch.

She grabbed a mug and filled it with coffee. She sat at the breakfast bar and opened the paper. She scanned the headlines and found herself bored. Since the end of the war there really wasn't anything worth reading. She put the paper down and took a sip of coffee.

She looked around the empty apartment and wondered what she was going to do. She didn't want to raise a child out here. She needed to leave the project but in order to do that she would need to find a new Head for the project, but Charlie was co-head and she couldn't get another one unless he agreed. So she needed to get Charlie back here to take over. _But that could be lethal!_

She took another sip of coffee. _What the fuck am I going to do?_

At that moment there was a knock on the door. She glanced over at it.

"David, whatever it is, it can wait. I just got up! I'll be out in an hour," she shouted from her seat.

"Who's David?" she heard a muffled voice say from behind the door. She would know that voice anywhere though.

She jumped up and ran to the door. She unlocked it and pulled it open. She screamed and wrapped her arms around Harry's neck.

"I missed you!" she said, pulling away. "You look great! How's Ginny?"

"Good morning to you too! Thank you and Ginny is great!" he said, smiling at her.

"I can't believe you're here! _Why_ are you here?" she asked.

"Well, if you let me in and get me a cup of coffee, I'll tell you," he said.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! Come in," she said, walking into the apartment. "Sit down."

Harry sat at the breakfast bar and Hermione poured him a cup of coffee. She stood on the other side of the bar and handed it to him. She rested her elbows on the counter.

"So, what are you doing here?" she said, a smile from ear to ear.

"There was some suspicious activity in a town just south of here, so the Ministry sent me and another Auror to check it out. I figured that since I was here I couldn't miss a chance of seeing you and Charlie," he explained, smiling back at her.

"Oh," she said. At the mention of Charlie's name the happiness left her face.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked, placing his hand on hers.

"Um…Charlie left me," she said, not looking him in the face and tears started to well in her eyes.

"Why?" Harry asked shocked.

"Well, I'm pregnant," Hermione said, still not looking in his eyes.

"Hermione, that's great," Harry said, getting up to hug her. He pulled away and added, "That's why Charlie left you?"

It took a minute for Hermione to get control of herself. "Well, the thing is that it's not his."

Harry took a step back from her. "Hermione, you didn't!"

"Harry, it's a really long story and it's not_ all_ my fault. Charlie didn't love me and never showed it and you should have seen the fight we had before… well…_it_ happened."

"By 'it' you mean sleeping with another man?"

"Yes," Hermione replied. Harry could hear the shame and pain in her voice and he felt sorry for her.

"Tell me what happened," he said, sitting down.

"For some months I've felt like Charlie didn't love me. He ignored me and only talked to me when he had to and we never had sex anymore and I felt neglected. Then he was called to Cambodia for a few days and he was going to leave without saying goodbye to me. It was an emergency call and if I hadn't walked into him on his way out he wouldn't have come to tell me that he was even leaving!"

Harry sat there listening intently. "Okay, but Hermione you didn't have to have an affair. Why didn't you just talk to him?"

"I tried! I told him how I was feeling and he didn't listen or care. And I didn't have an affair! It was a one time thing and I didn't plan on it happening, it just did."

"That's still an affair, Hermione."

"If you're going to take his side, you can get out of my home!" she spat at him, tears flowing freely now.

"Hermione, I'm not taking his side. I can see how you were feeling. I think that you went about it the wrong way but I understand. So, where is he?"

"I don't know. He saw me taking a Paternity Potion and then we got in a fight and then he left. That was four days ago and he hasn't been home since."

"Do you blame him?"

"No! I don't! And it's not like I wanted this to happen! I love him, Harry and I would like nothing more than for him to be the father of this child and to make our marriage work, but he doesn't love _me!_ I can't help that."

"Who is the father?" He asked not sure if he _wanted_ to know the answer.

Hermione didn't respond. She took a sip of coffee and looked out the window.

"Hermione, I'm not going to think badly of you. I just want to know," he said, coaxing her.

"It's Snape," she mumbled.

"Who?" Harry said, hoping that he had heard wrong.

"Severus Snape."

"HOLY SHIT, HERMIONE! What the fuck is wrong with you?"

This set off a whole new wave of tears. "This is exactly why I didn't want to tell you! I knew that you would act this way and I'm too emotional to take all this stress."

"I'm sorry," he said, getting up to hug her again. "That was wrong of me to say, but can I ask how that happened?"

"He was here working on a project and I don't know, me and Charlie were fighting and he kissed me and I just felt so needed and wanted that I couldn't stop it. He had given me what I had been begging Charlie for!"

Harry rubbed his temples.

"Harry, I don't know what to do. Help me," she said, sobbing now.

"Hermione, I think that you should get out of here. Go back to your parents house in London, get a desk job at the Ministry and figure out what you're going to do. You're going to keep it right?"

"Of course I am! This could be my only chance to have a child now!"

"Okay, go back to London. You don't need to be in charge of this operation. You don't need the added stress. And me and Ginny are there. You need to be near your friends at a time like this."

"But will Ginny want to be my friend after this? Will she even listen to what I have to say? I'm sure that Charlie has talked to her already."

"I'll talk to her when I get home. Don't worry about her. Just pack your things and I'll take you home with me," he said, putting a piece of hair behind her ear.

"I need to get Charlie to come back and be in charge then. How do I do that if he won't talk to me?"

"You go pack and I'll get a hold of Charlie," he said, pushing her towards the bedroom.

"Harry, what would I do without you?"

"You couldn't function!" he said, smiling at her. "Ginny's the same way, especially now!"

"What's happening now?" Hermione asked confused.

"Oh, I forget. Ginny's four months pregnant," he said, nonchalantly.

"Oh my gosh!" Hermione said, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Congratulations!"

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A week later Hermione was packing the last of her things. She was going to move back with her parents until she could find an apartment or something. Charlie was coming back to the project site to take control tomorrow. Hermione had told Harry to go home, that it would take a while to get things together but that she would be fine. She had also talked to her supervisor and he was giving her a desk job at the Ministry for the time being.

When she had finished packing she shrunk her things to fit in her pocket and she looked around the apartment that had been her home for three years. All the memories, good and bad, flashed before her eyes and she started to cry. She turned and walked out the door before she started to bawl. She locked the door and made her way outside.

After saying goodbye to David and some other members of her team, she apparated to outside her parents home in London. A sense of comfort and calm flooded her body upon seeing the white house with blue shutters.

She opened the gate in front of the house and made her way up the walkway. The sun was setting and casting a warm glow on the house. It was just past seven 'o'clock. She took a deep breathe before knocking on the door. A moment later her father answered the door looking surprised.

"Hey, sweetheart," he said, smiling at her.

"Hi, daddy," she replied, tears starting to well in her eyes.

"What's wrong?" he asked, placing a hand on her elbow.

"Charlie left me," she said, tears flowing freely.

"Oh, darling," he said, embracing her. "Come on in and I'll have your mother put on a pot of tea."

Ten minutes later Hermione sat in here parent's living room with a cup of tea in her hands.

"What happened, Hermione?" her mother asked, sitting on the couch next to her.

"Well, we've been having problems for a while now. I was starting to feel like he didn't love me anymore, he was neglecting me and then he was going to leave on a business trip to Cambodia and he _'forgot' _to say goodbye to me! How do you forget to say goodbye to your wife!" she rambled.

"But why did he leave?" her mother asked, holding her hand.

"Um… well… you see, when Charlie went to Cambodia I uh… well… Ikinaslepwitanoterman," she mumbled.

"Excuse me?" he father asked, hoping that he had heard wrong.

"I slept with another man," Hermione repeated.

"Hermione Anne Granger! Is that what we taught you growing up?" her mother snapped.

"No! But it just kind of happened and that isn't what made Charlie leave. Well, it is but he didn't know and probably wouldn't have until…"

"Until what?" Mr. Granger asked, skeptically.

"Until he saw me taking a paternity test and his name didn't show up!"

"Why would you need to take a pater-. Oh my gosh! You're pregnant!" Mrs.Granger shouted.

"Yes, darling, but I think you're missing the big picture. Your daughter is married and pregnant with another man's child," Mr. Granger explained.

"But I'm going to be a grandmother!" Mrs. Granger said, wrapping her arms around her daughter and spilling Hermione's tea.

"I don't know how much longer I'm going to be married. I expect Charlie to send Divorce Parchments soon," Hermione told her father.

"If Charlie left you, then why aren't you in Romania?" her father asked.

"Well, I couldn't stay on the site if I were pregnant, could I, father?" she snapped at him.

"So is Charlie coming back?"

"Yes, he's supposed to arrive back tomorrow. I'm going to take a desk job at the Ministry, but I need somewhere to stay until I can find an apartment or something."

"Oh, darling, you can stay here as long at you want," Mrs. Granger said.

"Thanks, mum. If you don't mind I'm going to go upstairs and lie down. I don't feel very well," Hermione said putting down her cup and getting up from the couch.

"Hermione, have you gone in for a check up? I mean, how far along are you?" Mrs. Granger asked.

"I think about three months now," Hermione said. "I'll go to a Mid-witch tomorrow."

"You're going to go to a Mid-wife? Not a doctor?"

"No, mum, a Mid-witch. Don't worry."

"You're going to raise this child on your own?" her father asked.

"I haven't really thought that far yet, Dad. I'm not giving it up if that's what you're asking," she said, walking up the stairs and shutting her bedroom door behind her.

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Now I know that everyone has been asking when we will see Snape and you will see him next chapter! I just had to get some things established before I brought him back! PLEASE REVIEW though and tell me what you think!

**Thanks to all the reviewers! You guys are great and keep this story going! Thanks to ohhdarkstonedone11, septentrion, Forgetful Love, Lady Entity, Danica Cobriana, Sugar Quill High, slythchickASD, Joani-the-unique-being, Shonah89, Noelle and fran! **


	7. The New Prophecy

:-: Sorry this took so long to post! I moved into college and then started classes and they give you so much homework that it's ridiculous and I'm scared! But I hope that you all understand and will forgive me! I hope that you enjoy this chapter:-:

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Two weeks later Hermione sat at her desk in the Magical Creatures Research and Development Department. She was surprised that she hadn't run into Snape since starting work four days ago, seeing as he was the Head of the department she was now working at. She was even more surprised that he hadn't come to welcome to his 'new employee.' She knew that he knew she was here. He _had _to. He was just avoiding her.

"Mrs. Weasley?"

Hermione turned around in her chair to see who had called her name. It was the woman who worked at the desk across from her, Ellen Netsell.

"Hermione," she said.

"Excuse me?" Ellen replied.

"Call me 'Hermione.'"

"Oh, well, thank you. You can call me 'Ellen.'"

"Thanks."

"Hermione, I was wondering if you would run these files up to the Head for revision," Ellen said, holding out a few files.

"The Head?" Hermione repeated, skeptically.

"Yes, Severus Snape."

"Um… sure," Hermione said, getting up from her desk. She took the folders. She looked around for a moment trying to find a distraction but finding nothing, made her way to Snape's office.

Arriving at his office door she hesitated before knocking. She raised her hand to do so but then turned to leave. After taking a few steps she heard his door open. She stopped in her tracks.

"Excuse me? Did you need something?"

Hermione turned around to face him. His breath caught in his chest when he saw who it was.

"I, uh, I just wanted to bring you these files for revision," she said, holding out the files to him. He took them and she turned to leave.

"Hermione?"

"Yes," she said turning around.

"I meant to, um, come and welcome you, but, uh -."

"I know. It's fine," she said, turning to leave again.

"Hermione?"

"Yes?"

"_Why_ are you here?"

"I'm working," she said, avoiding his eyes.

"I know, but why are you not in Romania?"

"Um, Charlie left me."

"What! Because of -."

"No, well, yeah, well, kind of."

"Oh."

"Yeah," she said, turning to leave one last time but this time it was her that made her turn around. She saw Snape walking back into his office. "Snape?"

"Yeah?"

"Um, I need to talk to you. Can we go out for lunch this afternoon?"

"Um, why do you need to talk to me?" he asked, skeptically.

"Will you go out to lunch with me or not?" she said, a little irritated.

"Yes," he said, a little surprised at her reaction.

"Fine, I'll meet you at the main entrance of this department at noon," she said, walking away.

Snape watched her walk away. Then he walked back into his office and shut the door. He threw the files on his desk and sat down in his chair with his head in his hands.

_Why! Why is she here? And why did Charlie leave her if not for…well…it?_

Snape couldn't deal with all this stress, which is why he had been avoiding her since she arrived. It was bad enough dealing with one thing and now adding Hermione on top of it was pushing him over the edge.

He pushed the files aside to reveal the divorce parchments he had been reading over before he saw Hermione's shadow in front of his door. Septima had sent them a few days earlier. He hadn't really talked to her since before…well… _it _happened. She didn't really seem to want to talk to him and then had sent the papers a few days ago. He had expected it. _Who would want to stay married to someone who didn't love them?_

He signed the papers and then sealed them in an envelope. He summoned for an owl from the Ministry and then he sent them off. _One thing down, one to go._

He was dreading going to lunch with Hermione. He knew that whatever she wanted to talk about had to deal with that day, but he didn't want to relive it. _Well, maybe I do, but it was still wrong! But…_

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At noon Hermione stood outside the doors of the department. She waited as people came in and out. When she saw Snape coming she felt a wave of nervous frustration speed through her body and she crossed her arms.

"Are you ready?" he asked, as he came out of the doors.

"Yeah, where do you want to go?"

"We can just go to the café at the end of the block. They have really good sandwiches."

"Ok," she said, following him out of the Ministry building and then down the street. Neither said a word until they were sitting at the table. After ordering their food, Snape sat back and folded his hands in his lap. Hermione sat there nervously.

"So, um, what's going on?" he asked.

"Um, well, Charlie left me."

"I know. You said that already. I'm sorry by the way. It wasn't because of …-."

"Well, um, it was but there's something more to it than that," she said, not looking him in the eyes. He began to get nervous.

"What?"

"I didn't tell Charlie what happened and I wasn't planning to. But, um, he saw something that kind of made it obvious that I had been unfaithful."

"Hermione, I'm a man. You're going to have to speak in simpler words than that."

"I think that's the first time I have ever heard you insult _yourself!_" she said, smiling.

"Well, you know, I'm not perfect," he said smiling back.

"Well, I knew that. I just wasn't sure if you did!"

"Ha ha, very funny. But, um…-."

"Oh, right. Well… he walked in on me taking a Paternity Potion and um…-."

"Why did you need to take a Pat-." He stopped and his whole body tensed out. Hermione saw this.

"Um, before you freak out, you don't have to do anything! I just thought that I should tell you. I'm capable of raising this child on my own."

"My name came up?" he said, almost in a whisper.

"Yeah, it did."

"You're keeping it?"

"Of course! I wouldn't do something like that and I have wanted a family for two years!"

"Um, I, uh… I have to go," he said, rising from his chair.

"Severus?"

"I just, I, um… I just have to go."

"Severus?" Hermione called as he walked out the door of the café. She put her head in her hands.

_Well, that went well!_

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Septima Vector Snape and Sybil Trelawney sat in the Teacher's Lounge at Hogwarts, eating lunch. For not the first time this week Septima sat crying to her friend about her ending marriage.

"Do you think that he'll sign the papers?" Trelawney asked, placing a hand on her sobbing friend's shoulder.

"I don't know. He said that he didn't love me anymore."

"I wish that I could do something."

"There's nothing anyone can do and I was the one that sent the papers."

"Everything will be alright. He neglected you and why would you want to stay married to someone who didn't love you? You deserve better and you will find someone better."

"I guess you're right," Septima said, wiping the tears from her eyes. "I just wish that I could have saved it somehow."

"I know. I wish I could stay but I have a class in a few minutes. I have a bad headache too. I hate teaching when I have headaches. It obscures the Inner Eye," Trelawney said, rising from her chair.

"Good afternoon, ladies," Dumbledore said, walking into the room.

"Good afternoon, Albus," they both responded.

"I'll talk to you later, Septima," Trelawney said.

"Okay," she responded, sadly.

"Have a good class, Sybil," Dumbledore said, as he sat down at the table.

"I hope I do. I've had this headache all day and sometimes that can block the Inn-."

At that moment a glazed look came over her face and she feel to the floor.

"Sybil!" Septima ran over. Dumbledore joined her on the floor.

"Sybil, are you okay? Wake up!" he said, shaking her.

She shocked both of them when she sat straight up. Both her eyes closed but you could tell that they were moving rapidly behind her eyelids, as if she were dreaming. Her voice became harsh and hoarse as she started to speak.

"_At the will of one, whose identity is feared even after death,_

_The first child born of his followers_

_Will continue His legacy and cover_

_The world in darkness._

_The new evil will only be able to continue his reign_

_If the child on the feared one's foe,_

_Born of the same eve,_

_Is taken before his eleventh year."_

Then she opened her eyes. "What happened?"

Dumbledore looked at her and a feeling of dread spread through his body.

"Nothing, you slipped and bumped your head. You have a class to go to though," he said, helping her up.

"Oh, right," she said, walking out of the room. "See you all later."

"What was that?" Septima asked.

"A Prophecy," Dumbledore said, walking out of the lounge.

"Albus?"

_Not again!_

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I am so sorry that this took so long to get up! I started college and homework is crazy! I hope that you all enjoyed this and I will try to update faster! Just don't abandon me! And I'm sorry that this is a little short!

**Thanks to all of my reviewers! I love you all! A special thanks to Lady Entity, Forgetful Love, septentrion, ohhdarkstonedone11, Damaged, MyEmeraldEyes, Crescentstara Dark, Joani-the-unique-being, snapedreamer, slythchickASD, Sugar Quill High, Erytha, and sever-black!**


	8. New Found Enemies

:-: Hey guys! I hope that you all liked the last chapter! I know that some people were confused by the prophecy, but don't worry, it will all come together. Not this chapter but it will soon. I also know that some people didn't like it but a significant part of this plot line will be based around it. So, if it bothers you, maybe this isn't the fic for you. Otherwise... I hope that you all like this chapter. Keep reviewing!:-:

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Snape was walking down the busy streets of London back to the office. He saw muggle businessmen and women on cell phones, couples holding hands, groups of friends laughing. The streets were bustling but all he could hear were the voices arguing in his head.

_I knew I never should have slept with her! It's just like her to do something like this. And you don't even know if it's yours. She says it is but how do you know? You could always ask her to take another Paternity potion and let you see the results!_

_Oh, like that's not rude, Severus! That's undermining her! She would hate you forever! And what reason would she have to lie about it? How can it not be yours?_

_But Charlie left her! How do you know she's not just saying that it's yours so that she doesn't have to raise it on her own?_

_She said that she was capable of that though. And why would she want a tie to you for the rest of her life?_

_Don't be so hard on yourself! That's what you did with Septima and look how that turned out. You're 38 years old, Severus! You want a family and you just got divorced. You don't have much more time to start one. Maybe this is your answer even if it is with Hermione Granger._

_And the sex wasn't that bad!_

_What are you talking about? It was great!_

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Hermione sat in her parents living room watching a new game show on TV. It was eleven thirty and her parents were in bed. She had come home from work, avoiding Snape for the rest of the day, and gotten into her pajamas and started eating a pint of Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream. That's where she was when she heard a knock on the front door.

She glanced over at it before putting the ice cream on the coffee table and rising from the couch. She unlocked the deadbolt and opened the door to see Snape staring her in the face.

"Uh… hi," he said, a look of confusion on his face, as if he were wondering if he should have come or not. Hermione freaked out and shut the door.

"Oh my God!" she said to herself.

_What are you doing? OPEN THE DOOR AND TALK TO HIM!_

_What if I don't want to?_

_Of course you want to! Open the door!_

She opened the door again to see him walking back down the path towards the street.

"Snape!" she called after him. He turned around and faced her. She looked in the house to see if her parents were there and then walked out onto the porch and shut the door behind her.

"I uh… I wanted to apologize for walking out on you today," he said putting his hands in his pocket.

"Oh. Apologizing huh?" she said putting her hands on her hips. "I didn't think that you had that much of a soul."

"Hermione, I am trying to do the right thing here."

"You never do the right thing unless it is advantageous to you!" she spat at him.

"Hey! I have changed!" he said defensively.

"That's what they all say!"

"Okay, is this some kind of hormonal imbalance thing?"

"It could be! Or it could have something to do with me telling you that I was pregnant today and then you leaving me at a restaurant!"

"That's why I'm here! I was in shock earlier and I am here to talk about this with you. Don't I get points for being here now?"

"No!" she snapped, sitting down on the porch steps. "But if you want to talk, let's talk," she added softer.

Snape walked up the pathway towards the house and sat down next to her.

"So what do you want to talk about?" she said casually.

"This isn't a joking matter, Hermione."

"Snape, I'm not giv-."

"Call me 'Severus.'"

She sighed. "Fine. Severus, I'm not giving up the baby."

"I don't want you to," he said, looking at the ground.

"I'm not getting an abortion and I'm not pu-. What?!" she asked shocked.

"I don't want you to give it up. I've been thinking about it all day and I want you to have the baby."

"Really?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, and if it's all right, I would like to be a part of it," he said, looking her in the eyes.

"You know, I never thought in a million lifetimes that I would be having a child with you!"

"Thank you," he said, rolling his eyes.

"And I also never thought that I would be grateful to hear you say that you wanted to have one with me," she said, placing a hand on his knee.

"I don't really want to have one with _you_, it just kind of happened that you're the one carrying it," he said, smirking at her.

"Aww… you're so sweet," she said, pushing him away.

"Hermione," he said, turning serious. "This may be the only chance that I have to have a child and I want to be involved in this."

"I know and you will be. Once the baby is born we can talk to a lawyer about joint custody and who will spend what holi-."

"No, Hermione, that's not what I mean. I want to be there for all of it. I want to help you through this and experience it with you."

"Wait! You want to be here through the whole pregnancy?!"

"Yes and everything else. Birthdays, holidays, firsts, everything. I don't want him to have his first step on a weekend that he's with you and then me miss it! Which is why I think you should move in with me."

"WHAT?! Are you crazy?" she said, standing up. "First off, what happens if one of us meets someone and wants to get married. We couldn't live together forever. Secondly, how do you know it's going to be a boy and thirdly are you crazy!?!"

"Hermione, I know this sounds insane and if one of us meets someone, we will cross that bridge when we come to it. All I know is that I want my child to grow up with two parents."

"I do too, but-."

"And I mean it seems like we have something together. Why can't we try to make us work?"

"WHAT!?!"

"You want _us _to date?"

"Well, I would like us to try and make this work. If it comes to that, fine."

"Severus, this is crazy!" she said, pacing.

Snape got up off the step and grabbed her hands. "Look me in the eyes and tell me that we don't have good chemistry."

She looked into his eyes and they seemed so warm and comforting. They were anything but the cold, dark abysses they used to be. His hands were smooth and soft against hers. Staring into his eyes she felt her heart start to race. She couldn't deny that they had great chemistry.

"We do," she said softly.

"So why not try?"

"I don't know," she said, letting go of his hands and turning away.

"Hermione, I'm 38 years old. This is my last chance to have a family. I don't just want a child, I want a family. If it doesn't work, then we can call a lawyer."

She looked at him. There was an expression of desperation on his face.

"Okay," she said after a few minutes.

"Okay?" he asked, excitedly.

"Yeah, let's try it. I'll move in tomorrow."

Snape took Hermione in his arms and held her tightly.

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Two weeks later Hermione sat on the couch of her and Snape's home on the outskirts of London. Snape had bought a house after he and Septima had gotten divorced. Hermione had finally finished unpacking all of her things.

Snape was still at the office, but Hermione had been sent home due to some over excessive morning sickness. She was expecting him to be home within the hour. She turned off the T.V and went into the kitchen to start dinner. She had put a roast beef in the oven and was making a salad when she heard a knock at the front door. She wiped her hands on a dish towel and walked to the door.

"Ron!" she said, surprised. Another emotion flooded her body, but she wasn't sure what it was. Dread maybe?

"Hello, Hermione," he said sternly. "Can I come in?" he added as he walked past her and into the living room. Hermione closed the door behind him.

"Um, how did you know I was here?" she asked. He sat down on the couch.

"Ginny told me."

"Oh. What else did she tell you?" she asked.

"She and Harry told me everything. How you cheated on Charlie and are pregnant with Snape's baby! How could you do something so stupid, Hermione? And now you're living with him?"

"Look, Ron, I can't talk to you about this now. I have dinner in the oven and Snape will be home any minute. You're being irrational right now and I don't want to deal with it. Come back tomorrow after you've calmed down." She walked to the front door and held it open for him.

"No."

"Excuse me?"

"No. We're going to talk about this now!"

"Fine," she said slamming the door. "What do you want to know? Do you want to know when it happened? Why it happened? Or are you going to be biased and not listen to anything that I have to say?"

"I'm going to be biased because Charlie is my brother!"

"Yeah and I'm your best friend! I love Charlie and do you really think that I would cheat on him in a sane state? Or without good reason?" she spat.

"There's never a good reason to cheat!"

"Charlie neglected me! He didn't want a family, Ron. And Snape was just there! If you had been there I might have slept with you! It just happened that _he _was there. It just happened that I got pregnant! Life gives you shitty cards sometimes and you deal with them. I am making the best of the current situation. Charlie wants nothing to do with me."

"Yeah, because you cheated on him. He said that he came back from Cambodia and told you that he wanted to have a family with you and then he saw you taking a Paternity potion."

"Yes, I did have to take a Paternity potion and I can't tell you how devastated I was Snape's name came up, but there is nothing I can do about it. I can't change it. It doesn't mean that I don't love you brother. I do! And I would like nothing more than to work things out with him."

"But Hermione, it's _Snape!_ Why him?"

"Because, Ron, he was there!"

"I can't accept that as an answer!"

"Well, it's the only one that I have for you. I can't tell you anything that I haven't already."

"I think you planned it," he said, looking away from her.

"What?! You think that I planned to get pregnant by Snape?"

"YES! You obviously got bored with Charlie and needed an excuse to end it!"

"I cannot believe that you would say something like that! Get out of my house!"

"You mean your and Snape's house!"

"Yes, I do! Now get out. I can't talk to you when you're like this!"

"Hermione?" she heard the front door open and Snape call her name from the foyer. She and Ron both glanced that way. She heard the front door close and he called her name again.

"Get out!" She said to Ron. He walked up to her and got right in her face.

"Fine, but know that this is the end of our friendship!"

Snape appeared in the door way. "What's going on?" he asked suspiciously.

"Nothing. Ron was just leaving," she said as she and Ron stared at each other.

"Never talk to me again, whore!" Ron said before turning to walk away. As he did though Snape stepped behind him and got in his face.

"What did you just say to her?" Snape asked him. Hermione had tears in her eyes.

"None of your business," Ron said, trying to walk past him. Snape stepped in front of him again.

"Apologize, now!" Snape said, sternly.

"No!" Ron tried to step around him again. Snape grabbed his robes and pinned him against the wall.

"Severus!" Hermione shouted.

"Get off me!" Ron spat.

"Apologize!"

"No!" Ron punched Snape in the stomach and Snape let go. Ron walked towards the front door and slammed it as he left. Snape followed with Hermione running after him, telling him to stop.

He opened the front door.

"You ever come near her or this house again, I'll kill you, Weasley!" He walked back in and slammed the door. Hermione was sitting on the couch crying when he walked into the living room. Snape sat down next to her on the couch.

"I'm so sorry, Hermione," he said softly.

"This is never going to work, Severus," she said, her head in her hands.

"Yes, it will. It's just going to take some getting used to."

"No. I'm losing my friends, my family. Maybe I should just take an Abortion potion and be done with it."

"Hermione, we both know that you don't want to do that. They will get over it," he said lifting up her chin and wiping the tears from her eyes. She took his hand.

"I just don't see how this is going to work," she said looking him in the eyes.

"We'll have to make it," he said, smiling. "Now stop crying."

"When did you become such an understanding and supportive human being? And I stress the 'human being.'"

"It was because of Septima. But all good things come to an end, don't they?"

"Are you saying that this is only going to last a little while?"

"No. I'm saying that my marriage needed to end. I didn't love her anymore."

"Oh," Hermione said, looking away from him.

"You still love him?" he asked, slightly cheerless.

"Yes, I do. He may have treated me like shit but I did love him. I know that we're trying to make this work and I've thought about. I think that there is a possibility that I could have feelings for you, but right not they are small if existent."

"That's fine. When I asked to be a part of this I wasn't asking you to fall in love with me. Just to like me enough to share this with," he said, putting a hand on her stomach. She placed her hand over his.

"I'm glad to do that," she said, kissing him softly on the cheek. She rose from the couch. "Dinner should be ready."

"Okay," he said, rising as she walked towards the kitchen. "And Hermione?" he said as he walked towards her.

"Yeah," she said turning around. He placed his hands on her shoulders. "We'll get through this together. And I don't just mean the pregnancy. All the stress and discrimination, we'll do it together. And it will get better."

"I know," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck. He held her tightly. "Thanks."

She pulled away from him and he held her waist for a moment. Then he kissed her tenderly on the lips. She smiled at him before turning to walk into the kitchen. But she couldn't get her heart to stop racing as she did so.

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Once again, sorry that this took so long to get up! You know, the whole college thing! Kind of crappy! Why do parents make us do such things? I hope you all liked it and made you happy! I will try to update soon but my other fic is next up! I will do my best. Merry Christmas to everyone!

**Thanks to Sugar Quill High, Forgetful Love, ohhdarkstonedone11, savvy lover, notwritten, bloodwitch88, Erytha, Jess, Megan Consoer, Danica Cobriana, sever-black, and Random Person! You're all amazing!**


	9. Realistic But Unfair Demands

:-: Hey guys! I know it's been a while but I hope that this chapter will make the wait worth it! And honestly keep reviewing because if the story doesn't get reviews I'm not going to waste my time writing it. I'll start a new one! So if you like it PLEASE REVIEW!! Love you all!:-:

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Severus Snape sat in his office a few days after Ron had showed up at his house. Even after such an unpleasant event, he couldn't help but feeling his life was finally going down the road it was supposed to. He had a child on the way and things between he and Hermione seemed to be getting more serious. Everything seemed just right for the time being.

He was sitting at his desk looking over the department's monthly report when there was a knock at his office door.

"Come in," he said. Snapes's secretary opened the door.

"Dr. Snape, Albus Dumbledore is here to see you," she said.

"Albus? Let him in," Snape said as he pushed the monthly report aside and stood up.

Dumbledore walked into the office and Snape's secretary closed the door as she left.

"Severus," Dumbledore said as he smiled and shook Snape's hand.

"Albus, what are you doing here?"

"Don't sound so happy to see me," Dumbledore replied, sarcastically, as he sat down.

"I'm sorry," Snape said, sitting down as well. "Don't tell me you've come to ask me to teach again because I won't do it!" Snape laughed.

"Actually, I have something more serious to discuss with you," Dumbledore said earnestly.

"Is everything ok?"

"Well, Sybil Trelawney made another prophecy about two weeks ago. I thought I should come down here and warn you."

"Warn me? So, I'm guessing this wasn't a good prophecy?" Snape said smartly.

"No, it's not good. I need you to be on the lookout."

"The lookout for what?" Snape asked confused.

"A former deatheater who is pregnant or has gotten someone pregnant."

Snape stopped breathing for a moment. He tried to conceal the concerned look that appeared on his face. Turned spy or not, it didn't matter, he had been a deatheater at one point and he had gotten Hermione pregnant.

"That's a strange request," Snape said trying to hide the worry in his voice. "Can I ask why?"

"At the will of one, whose identity is feared even after death,

The first child born of His followers

Will continue His legacy and cover

The world in darkness.

The new evil will only be able to continue his reign

If the child of the feared one's foe,

Born on the same eve,

Is taken before his eleventh year."

"That's an interesting prophecy!" Snape said when Dumbledore had finished.

"Interesting and horrifying," Dumbledore replied.

"So, let me see if I understand this. 'At the will of one, whose identity is feared even after death,' well, that's Voldemort. 'The first child born of His followers,' so the first child born of the deatheaters. 'Will continue His legacy and cover the world in darkness,' so, this child will be another Voldemort?" Snaped walked himself through the prophecy.

"Yes, this child will continue what Voldemort could not," Dumbledore confirmed.

"'The new evil will only be able to continue his reign if the child of the feared one's foe,' which would be Potter's child, 'is taken before his eleventh ye-.'"

"'Born of the same eve,'" Dumbledore interjected.

"So, the child of the deatheater and Potter's child will be born on the same day. And Potter's kid needs to kill the deatheater's kid before he turns eleven or else he will turn into the next Voldemort?!" Snape asked overwhelmed.

"That's what it sounds like, doesn't it?" Dumbledore said.

"So you want me to look out for a pregnant woman, either deatheater or impregnated by a deatheater so that we can do what, exactly?" Snape asked, skeptically.

"Get her to take an Abortion Potion. Ginny Potter is pregnant and if we stop this other child from being born, we stop the prophecy. If this woman doesn't take an Abortion Potion, she'll have to be killed. I won't let this happen again," Dumbledore answered sternly.

Snape sat there quietly, taking this all in. He couldn't believe this was happening. Unless another deatheater was expecting a child, his and Hermione's was the one spoken of in the prophecy.

"Will you keep an eye open, Severus?"

Snape snapped his attention back to Dumbledore. He had to tell him.

"Hermione's pregnant," Snape said softly.

"Charlie and Hermione Weasley? That's wonde-."

"No!" Snape interrupted sternly. "She's pregnant with _my _child. She and Charlie split up about two months ago."

Dumbledore sat there in shock for a moment. "Do I dare ask how this happened?"

"You don't want to know," Snape said, avoiding the disapproving look Dumbledore wore on his face.

"Severus, she has to give up the child!" Dumbledore stated.

"I can't ask her to do that!"

"Then _I _will!"

"You can't ask _me _to do that!" Snape almost yelled. "Septima and I got a divorce. This may be my only chance to have a child, Albus. This whole marriage and family thing isn't going to happen for me the normal way."

"Severus, this is no time to be selfish!"

"How do you even know it's _our _baby? There could be another deatheater expecting!"

"How far a long in Hermione?"

"About three months," Snape replied.

"Hermione is as far along as Ginny. _Her _child is most likely the one in the prophecy!"

"I'll talk to her but there's no way that you're going to convince her _or me_ to give up this child," Snape snapped.

"I'll go with you to talk to her," Dumbledore replied.

"I don't think that's such a great idea. You'll just upset her."

"Severus, I wasn't asking."

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Ten minutes later Hermione was sitting in Snape's office greeting Dumbledore with hugs and a smile from ear to ear.

"What brings you here, Albus?" she asked as they all sat down.

"Actually a matter of urgent business," he replied.

"Really?" Hermione said, glancing at Snape who wore a grave expression on his face.

"Yes, Sybil Trelawney has made another prophecy; one I believe involving you."

"It might not be you!" Snape said, ignoring Dumbledore's glare.

Hermione moved uneasily in her seat. "And, um, what might this prophecy consist of?" she asked nervously.

"It says that the first child born of a deatheater wi-," Dumbledore was interrupted.

"_A _deatheater! Not specifically me!" Snape stated.

"Severus!" Dumbledore snapped.

"Sorry," Snape replied, staring into his hands.

Dumbledore returned his attention back to Hermione. "The first child born of a deatheater will rise to become a second Voldemort. And unless this child is killed by Harry Potter's heir before his eleventh year, it will cover the world in darkness."

"And you think this 'second Voldemort' is my child?" she asked, placing a hand on her stomach.

"You are the only one pregnant by a former deatheat-."

"We don't know that!" Snape spat.

"Severus Snape! I refuse to make any mistakes with _this_ prophecy! I am eliminating all options!" Dumbledore yelled at him.

"Wait! What do you mean 'eliminating all options'?" Hermione interjected.

"Hermione, I know this is _a lot _to ask, but I need you to take an Abortion Potion."

"WHAT?!" she shouted, jumping up. "Please tell me you're joking!"

"Hermione, you have to understand the position I'm in," Dumbledore said.

"Albus, you are asking me to kill my child!"

"Would you rather kill one or have that one kill thousands?!" Dumbledore stated. "Do you really want to be responsible for that?"

"But how do we even know if our child is the one the prophecy speaks of?"

"My point exactly!" Snape said. Dumbledore just glared at him. "Look, Albus, I don't think Hermione's needs this kind of stress right now!"

"Hermione, the prophecy also says that Harry's child and this other child will be born on the same eve and you and Ginny are as far along as each other. I don't see how it couldn't be your child."

"Albus…" she tried to speak but nothing would come out.

"Hermione, I understand that this is a lot to take in. But I need you to put your maternal instincts aside and think about this. You need to separate your maternal instincts and your reason. I understand that doing that is more than difficult, but I need you to do it. I will give you some time to think about it but I will need an answer in one month. I strongly advise you to do as I ask."

Dumbledore rose from his chair and Hermione stayed where she was and stared at her feet as silent tears fell down her face. Snape walked over to the door and opened it for Dumbledore.

"Severus, I need you to separate your emotions from this as well. This is not a time to be selfish," Dumbledore said to him quietly. Snape didn't respond except for the glare he continued to show on his face. Dumbledore exhaled before walking out the door. Snape slammed the door behind him.

He walked over to Hermione and knelt on the floor in front of her and placed his hands on her knees.

"Hermione-."

"What are we going to do?" she asked, tears still streaming down her face. Snape wiped them away and then lifted her chin so that he was staring into her eyes.

"Hermione, we don't know that the child in the prophecy is ours. These are assumptions made by a naïve, old twit!"

"Albus Dumbledore is not a naïve, old twit!" she said defensively. "I love that man like a grandfather! And I trust him!"

"So, you think that we should abort the baby?" he said, not hiding the trembling in his voice.

"I don't know! It's possible, Severus. Our child could be the one spoken of in the prophecy! I never known that man to be wrong. I mean, Ginny and I are both about three months pregnant. This could be happening!"

Snape stood and started to pace the room. A few minutes went by where neither of them spoke.

"Severus, talk to me!" Hermione finally said. "Tell me what you think."

"I think that this is exactly the excuse that you've been looking for!" he stated, his voice slightly raised.

"What?!" she said, rising from her chair.

"You've wanted to raise this child on your own from the beginning! I had to practically beg you to let me be involved! I think that you would like nothing better than to be rid of the thing that ties me to you!"

Snape looked at her searching her face. He couldn't make out the expression. After a moment she walked up to him and slapped him across the face. He reached up and rubbed his cheek.

"How dare you!" she said. "I can't believe that you would think that lowly of me! I can't believe that you would think I would kill my child just because I didn't want to be near you, which isn't even the case at all!" she tried to keep her voice down but it was coming out at a very loud volume.

Snape slowly backed away from her.

"My friends hate me, my family is embarrassed of me no matter what they say, my marriage has fallen apart and I had to leave the career that I was passionate about behind! Do not tell me that I am looking for a way to escape you! I have sacrificed too much for you and I can't get any of it back! If I were to get rid of this child it would be for more important reasons than _Severus Snape_!"

"Hermione, please cal-."

"DO NOT TELL ME TO CALM DOWN!" She said before falling to the floor and crying into her hands.

After a few moments, Snape cautiously took a few steps towards her. He knelt down next to her and touched her shoulder, but she pushed his hand away.

"Hermione, I didn't know," he said softly.

"How would you? You don't care about me, you only care about the baby. I'm just the woman carrying it. Once it's born you won't need me anymore!" she spat at him.

"Hermione, where is all this coming from?"

"I'm just telling you what your actions express. You are so defensive of this baby. I am too. It's growing inside of_ me_! I will be connected to it in ways that you never will be able to and I love it more than life already. But what if Dumbledore is right? We need to separate our emotions and think about this."

"Don't say that."

"This isn't about _us_ anymore, Severus!"

"Hermione, I would hate to give up this child and then find out that it wasn't the one spoken of in the prophecy. There are ways to prevent prophecies from happening!" Snape said.

"I don't know, Severus," she said in a defeated tone.

"I will not let you do this again! We are having this child! I am making the decision for us!"

"No, you're making if for yourself!" she spat.

"Stop that! I am making it for _us_. Hermione, I asked you to move in with me so that I could attempt to give this child the life that it deserves. I want his parents to love each other as much as they love him! I didn't just ask you to move in so that I could be there for the child, but so that I could be there for _you_! I don't just care about this child. I care about you!"

She looked into his eyes and knew that he wasn't lying. To be quite honest it scared her. Could this actually work? Could they learn to love each other? Did he already love her? And did she have feelings for him? It scared her because she thought that she might have feelings for him.

"Okay," she said, so quietly that Snape almost didn't hear it.

"Okay?" he asked. "Okay, we'll keep the baby?" he added excitedly.

"Yes,' she said smiling at him.

He placed his hands around her face and kissed her passionately on the lips.

"This isn't a mistake, Hermione," he said.

She just smiled back at him. Then he kissed her again.

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DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW! My other story isn't getting very many and I am considering stopping, so if you want me to continue with this… REVIEW!!! I hope you all liked this chapter!

**Thanks to: Forget Love, pheydre, PerfectDay, Erytha, Sugar Quill High, sever-black, kinkyneko33, ShadowDragonWings, Danica Cobriana, Sexy Lil' Doctor, and ILoveAnime89! **


	10. Feelings Never Thought Possible

:-: Hey guys! I know it's been a while since I updated but now I am out of school so hopefully I will be updating a lot more. Thank you to all of you who have stuck with me! I hope you enjoy this chapter! Oh and there's a reference to an animal in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them if you want to read more about said animal:-:

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It had only been two days since she and Snape had decided to ignore Dumbledore's request and have the baby. It had also only been two days since she and Snape had decided to start dating… officially. And she had to admit that ever since that decision had been made, things had been a little awkward around the house. It was as if they were both expecting certain things to happen or for things to go a certain way and neither really knew what those expectations were.

Hermione was sitting at the kitchen table finishing her breakfast and reading the Daily Prophet when Snape walked into the kitchen and got himself a cup of coffee. She watched him put the coffee pot back and come sit at the table with her.

"Good morning," he said.

"Good morning," Hermione replied, smiling at him. He smiled back at her and reached for part of the newspaper. Hermione went back to reading an article about the sudden population growth of Murtlaps, which had caused an increase in foot amputations in recent weeks. After a moment she lost her concentration as Snape cleared his throat loudly.

Hermione looked up from the paper to see him looking her in the eyes. "Um…" he said. He began to fidget with his coffee cup and stare into it.

"Yes?" she replied, confused.

"Well, I was just wondering if maybe…" he said, trying to put what he wanted to say into words.

"Severus?" she said, trying to get him to look at her again.

"Yeah?" he said doing just that.

"What is it?" she said putting the paper down.

"I was just thinking that maybe we should go out to dinner tonight," he replied.

"Oh… sure. Where should we go?" she asked a little off guard. She didn't know why she was though. They _were_ dating, thus he asking her on a date shouldn't have been awkward, but it was a little. It was just a very weird idea to accept.

"I'll make some reservations. Seven-thirty sound all right?"

"Yeah, that sounds great."

"Ok. I'll meet you back here at seven-fifteen then?" he asked as he got up and put his empty cup in the sink.

"Sure," she said picking up the paper again.

"Ok, well, I'm off to work."

"Ok. I'll be off in a few minutes. I'll see you there."

"Ok," Snape said as he made to leave the room. He stopped in the doorway and looked back at Hermione finishing the paper. He walked over to her and kissed her on the cheek. She looked up at him. "Bye," he said before leaving the room.

"Bye," she called after him. She couldn't help but smile. Their situation was awkward at times but that would change. As least she hoped it would.

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Hermione and Snape didn't see each other at all during the day. She had gone to see if he wanted to go to lunch, only to be shooed away by his secretary saying something about a meeting. Snape had gone to see Hermione in the afternoon to find that she was off running an errand for the department. Hermione had then gone to see if he wanted to go home together at six but he was busy in his office with end of the day paper work. Both were surprised to notice that they missed each other.

After leaving Snape to his paper work, Hermione apparated home and went to her bedroom to get ready for dinner. She didn't know where they would be going but she expected that it would be nice, so she decided to wear her favorite black dress. It was a strapless dress that was cut just below her knees and the skirt flailed out. There was white lace that wrapped around the waist. She noticed that as she slipped it on that it was a little tight around her stomach. She realized that she was now in her third month of pregnancy.

She walked over to the full length mirror that hung on her bathroom door and turned to the side so that she was looking at her profile. She noticed a slight bulge to her belly. She ran her hands over it and smiled. She still couldn't believe that she was going to have a baby. It was even harder to believe that it was with Severus Snape but the idea seemed to be growing on her.

She went to the bathroom and washed her face so that she could redo her makeup. She applied some eye liner to make her eyes more pronounced and then put on some mascara. She put on a little bit of blush and some light pink lip gloss. She looked in the mirror to check her reflection. Everything seemed okay except for her hair.

Hermione heard the front door open and close. Snape was home. She looked at the clock on her bedside table and saw that it was six-fifty. She heard his bedroom door close and then looked back in the mirror. What to do with the hair?

She pulled it half up, but quickly decided that she didn't like it. She put it back down, but that looked too frizzy. She tried it in a pony tail, but thought it looked too informal for the dress. Finally she put it up in a messy bun and pulled some bangs down so that they dangled at the side of her face. She liked that.

She went to her closet and pulled out a pair of black, kitten-heeled shoes. She put them on and went to look at the whole ensemble in front of the full length mirror again. Deciding that she liked it, she turned off the lights and went to wait in the living room for Snape.

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Snape had come home from work and walked into his bedroom. He changed his robes quickly to yet another pair that was black. He went to the bathroom and put on some cologne and combed his hair. After he had done this it was only seven 'o'clock, so he sat down on the bed. After a moment he took out his wand and conjured up some pink lilies. He put his wand away just as he heard Hermione open and close her bedroom door.

He rose from the bed and turned off his lights before walking into the living room, where Hermione was sitting on the couch.

She heard his door open and stood up. "Hi!" she said, before he even closed the door shut.

"Hi," he said. "Wow, you look stunning," he added as he looked at her from head to foot.

"Thank you. You look pretty handsome yourself," she said.

"Here, these are for you," he said, handing her the flowers.

"Oh, thank you! Lilies are my favorite flowers," she said taking them and smelling them. "Where are we going for dinner?"

"It's a surprise."

"Okay, well let me put these in a vase and then we can leave."

Hermione walked into the kitchen for moment and when she came back she took Snape's arm. He was a little startled by this, but still managed to say, "Shall we?"

"Yes," she replied, smiling at him.

"We'll have to apparate. Hold on," he said, putting his arm around her waist and pulling her close to his body. She felt a chill run down her spine as he did so, a good chill.

A moment later they were on a deserted beach. The moon shone overhead and millions of stars scattered the sky. The soft sound of waves crashing against the shore filled their ears. Hermione looked around and saw a picnic laid out on the sand. Candles lit the scene.

"I thought you said you were making reservations?" Hermione asked shocked but excited.

"I'm not good at the whole romantic thing, but I thought this might be better."

"I think you're a lot better at the 'romantic thing' that you think you are," she said before kissing him gently on the lips. He leaned back from her surprised. He took her hand and led her to the blanket. They sat down and Snape poured two glasses of grape juice.

"Well, well, well, you do know a little about being pregnant," she laughed.

"I've been reading up."

"Have you?"

"Yes, there's this Muggle book called "What to Expect When You're Expecting" and it just-."

He was cut off by Hermione laughing.

"What?!" he asked, confused.

"Nothing. I think that's adorable. Can I borrow it when you're done?" she said, still laughing.

"You can borrow it now. So… you think I'm adorable?" he said, smirking.

"I said you reading the book was adorable, but you do have your moments. Like this morning when you kissed me goodbye." She took a sip of juice. "So, what are we eating?"

Snape pulled some fruit, crackers and cheese, and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches out of a basket.

"Wow, did you make these yourself?" she said grabbing one of the sandwiches.

"As a matter of fact I did. I was going to make something really good but… I can't cook," he said, grabbing the other sandwich.

"Oh, well, I will have to teach you. I am a phenomenal cook!"

"I will be the judge of that!" he said, smiling at her.

"Hey! Jerk!" she said, sarcastically.

"I'm sorry," Snape replied, as he leaned over and pulled a piece of hair out of her face and behind her ear. Hermione felt that chill run down her spine again.

"You know, I have never felt as much passion with anyone as I did with you that day," she said, avoiding his eyes and watching the waves crash against the shore.

"I would have to say the same," he said, moving closer to her.

"Maybe hatred is a strong aphrodisiac."

"Maybe. You don't hate me now do you?"

"Just a little," she said, smirking at him. He moved closed to her still.

"Well, if it makes you feel better, I don't really like you either," he said.

"I would beg to differ," she said placing her hands on his chest and kissing him on the lips. He pulled her to him and made the kiss deeper. She moved so that she was kneeling between his legs and he held her to his chest. She pulled away from him. "See?"

He laughed. "Fine!"

She turned around and sat between his legs and leaned against him. He wrapped his arms around her and they watched the waves. This didn't feel weird, it felt right in a way, she thought.

Snape leaned his head on her shoulder and smelled her hair. It smelled sweet and of lilacs. He rested his hands on her belly and she placed her hands over his.

"I think our situation will work out fine," he said.

"Yeah, if we can get along," she added.

"I think we're getting along great," he said as he kissed her neck.

She turned to face him and he looked a little surprised. "Yeah, there's passion, which is good, but that doesn't mean that we'll get along. We need to make sure that we can live together. We need to talk about how we're going to raise this child. We need to make sure we have the same views on things. Just because there's heat doesn't mean we're meant to be together."

Snape took her face in his hands. "You are thinking too far into this right now. We're testing this out. All of those things, we will figure out in time. Things are fine right now." He kissed her gently on the cheek.

"Right, we'll take it one day at a time. If it doesn't work, it doesn't work. I've just been a little stressed," she said leaning back into him.

"Understandable, but that's not good for the baby," Snape said.

Hermione laughed again. "You actually read that book!? I am impressed."

"What can I say? I care."

There was something in the way that Snape said that made Hermione believe it. He did really care about her and this baby. That made her feel really comfortable. She was beginning to think that this could and would really work.

They stayed there for an hour or so, just sitting in each others arms. Hermione finally began to fall asleep in his arms. Snape gathered everything together and pulled her to her feet. He pulled her close to his body once again and apparated back to their house.

"Well, thank you for a lovely evening," Hermione said.

"Of course," Snape said, kissing her softly.

"Well, I am off to bed," she said making to leave, but he grabbed her hand and pulled her back and kissed her again.

"What was that for?" she asked.

"I don't know," he said before kissing her again. Hermione wrapped her arms around his neck and made the kiss deeper. He slowly led her to his bedroom, as he ran his hands up and down her body. She began to unbutton his robes and he slowly unzipped her dress. He gently laid her on the bed and began to explore her neck. She moaned softly.

"Severus?" she whispered.

"Yes?"

"We really shouldn't. This is too fast."

He stopped and looked her in the eyes. "Because we haven't already done this?" he said, putting a piece of hair behind her ear again.

"That was a momentary lapse of judgment. We're dating now and if th-."

"Exactly, we're dating now, what's wrong with this?"

She smiled at him. "If you would let me finish, we're dating now and if this is going to work, we need to take it slow."

He dropped his head in defeat. He knew she was right. He got off the bed and pulled her with him. He pecked her on the cheek.

"Goodnight," she said. "Thank you again."

"Goodnight," he replied.

She left his room and walked down the hallway to her own. She heard his door close and she closed her behind her. She leaned against the door wishing that she could be back down the hall.

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So… I know it's kind of short but I hope you all liked it. Thanks for sticking with it and please KEEP REVIEWING!!!

Thanks to **septentrion, Mennie, pplhater2493, DD2, Erytha, Anarane Anwamane, Jessica, Perfect Day, Sugar Quill High, ILoveAnime89, BECKY, slythchickASD, Danica Cobriana, Rhiannon Renegade, xOxXo SqUEAkk, and Megan Consoer! You're all awesome!**


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